Something More
by savvyliterate
Summary: For five years, they'd been best friends and comrades with strong feelings for each other. But now, they wonder if they're ready for something more just as an unusual bounty is placed on Lina. LG, AZ
1. Cold Hands, Feet and Hearts

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances," a themed community similar to "30 kisses." All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #1 - cold hands ; cold feet and theme #2 - The subconscious ; bury 

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

oOoOo

Chapter One: "Cold Hands, Feet and Hearts"

They stared at their soggy camp and equally soggy bedrolls, each wishing that the nearest town was closer than a two-day walk away. As much as they both admitted they loved being on the road, this was...this simply was...

"Hell!" Lina threw her arms in the air and stomped through the mud. "This is a living nightmare! This is the pits! I can't believe this!"

"It isn't that bad, Lina," Gourry replied, pushing his sopping wet hair out of his face. He shielded his eyes so he could attempt to see through the downpour. The only distinguishable thing he could make out was Lina's eyes - everything else was too dark to see.

"We can't even start a fire," she grumbled. "No rocks to hide under, no caves to hide in. How the hell did we get stuck out in the middle of freakin' nowhere?"

Gourry tuned out her complaining, knowing that she would wind down after awhile. First things first. He had to get them some sort of protection. It wouldn't be much, but it would keep the rain off them. He gauged the branches above them, then pulled out the Blast Sword. With a few, quick slices of the blade, he had enough branches cut down to where he figured they could have a decent shelter.

Lina whirled around and noticed him at work. "What are you doing?"

"I need your help," he told her as he anchored some larger limbs into the ground. "I also need your cloak."

"My cloak?"

"Yeah, to stretch over these."

"You are out of your mind! I'm not giving you my cloak!"

"Stop acting like a 2-year-old," he snapped at her. "Do you want out of the rain or not?"

Lina frowned. Usually, no matter how bad of a mood she got in, Gourry was the one to remain cheerful. The rain had to seriously be getting to him, she thought. With a sigh, she removed her cloak and handed it to him. He tied it to the branches so it formed a diagonal cover. Then he placed the remaining branches over the cloak - just enough to where most of the rain would keep out, but not too many for it to cave in.

He straightened and gave her a weak smile. "Miss Inverse, your new palace," he said with an exaggerated sweep of his hand.

She let out a snort of laughter. Gourry looked so silly standing in the downpour, gesturing to a simple shelter made of branches. It was the furthest thing from one. _I might as well help, _she figured and dragged their bedrolls under the shelter. She backed out and cast a Fireball spell. She held it out, but didn't let it go. The heat from the spell quickly dried their bedding and the ground. She then held it closer to her cloak so it dried as well before she dissipated the spell.

"The cloak's waterproof, so now that it's dry, we should be as well." She crawled inside and flopped down on her bed in relief. "Ah, this is nice. Thank you, Gourry."

He gave her a smile and crawled in after her. After a moment of relaxing, Lina sat up and cast the Fireball spell again. It was a slower job, but the heat allowed them to dry off. With a yawn, Lina laid back down on her bedroll.

"I wish we could build a fire in here," she mummered.

"It'll go up quicker than one of your fireballs thrown into a bandit camp." Gourry turned onto his side and propped his head on his hand so he could look at her.

The rain poured and some drops seeped in through the cracks where the cloak was tied, but they would at least be dried. Lina shivered, closed her eyes and curled into a fetal position. Dry, yes. Warm, no. She was so tired and so cold. She hated being cold. When they had gone to the Ancient Dragon shrine in Filia's lands, she'd been so miserable. She rubbed her arms. Most of the time, she was grateful to be wearing short sleeves, but what she wouldn't give for a sweater or a blanket right now.

She felt something warm move close to her, then it was just mainly her back that was cold. She opened her eyes and saw Gourry's nose just a few scant inches from hers. She squeaked and jumped up, hitting the roof of their little shelter. She rubbed her head and stared at it anxiously as it wobbled for a second before holding steady.

She then turned her attention to Gourry. "What was that for?"

He looked slightly hurt. "You're cold. Lie back down, Lina. We can at least share our body heat."

Lina couldn't stop herself from blushing and she quickly averted his gaze. "Bo...body heat?"

"Yeah, like lying next to each other?"

She whipped her head around and jabbed a finger in his direction. "This is like those blanket scenarios, right?"

Gourry blinked at her, confused. "We don't have a blanket, Lina."

"Oh." She laid back down, making sure to face him. Okay, so he wasn't thinking anything weird like..."sharing" body heat. He just wanted to make sure she was warm. He probably thought it was his job as her protector. That had to be it.

His eyes were closed by the time she settled herself. She rested her head on her pillow and simply looked at him. In the dark, she could only see his hair and the rough outline of his face. A week earlier, they had celebrated her 20th birthday in Saillune City with Amelia and Sylphiel. They'd been traveling together for nearly five years now. Lina smiled and felt herself start to get a little warmer with Gourry's body blocking out a good bit of the wind. He was so comforting to have close by. She couldn't imagine camping outside now and not seeing him nearby.

She was nearly asleep when she shivered once more. _Even my gloves aren't keeping my hands warm._ She peeled off her gloves and exhaled into her hands to warm them up.

Suddenly, her hands were being pulled away and enfolded into Gourry's larger ones. Her eyes widened and she felt her heart trip a little bit as he gazed back at her. _He wasn't sleeping?_

"Your hands are cold," he observed and she bit back a laugh. _Duh!_

But, it was a nice feeling. And her hands were warm. She moved a bit closer to him and closed her eyes once more. _Now, if only he could do something about my feet...wait...don't even go there, Lina!_

oOoOo

A few weeks shy of Lina's 17th birthday, Hellmaster Fibrizo figured out that her biggest weakness came in the form of a tall, blond-haired swordsman who had yogurt for brains, but was the most skilled fighter in hand to hand combat that she'd ever met other than her older sister. That same swordsman had told her he would spent the rest of his life protecting her. And when Fibrizo kidnapped him, she told herself that if she got him back alive that she would remain by his side as long as he was by hers.

He, simply put, was her best friend. Her confidant. Her protector. She'd never had someone in her life like Gourry before. There were childhood playmates who never quite understood Lina's drive to absorb magic. When she mastered the Dragon Slave, she had been excited - but her so-called friends shunned her. Then there was Naga, the White Serpent. Naga's favorite activity was driving Lina up the wall, and Lina's was to try to pretend she didn't exist. They worked well together, but...

Then there was Amelia and Zelgadiss. Zel was Lina's match on an intellectual level and they got along extremely well most of the time. He was good for those post-dinner conversations about philosophy and magic that she sometimes missed having with Gourry around. Talking to him about either of those things was just as effective as talking to herself. Not that she didn't mind that, but there was some times she longed for the debate she could engage in with Zel with those matters.

Amelia was the closest thing to a little sister that Lina had, and they made a point of visiting her in Saillune often. Prior to meeting the princess, Lina usually avoided Saillune at all cost. Amelia had made it a welcoming place and it had turned into a second home.

But there was just something about her jellyfish...from the way he ruffled her hair like a child to their constant battles over food. He was the only person who could actually make her feel ashamed at doing something, but when he was proud of her, she was on top of the world.

And since the moment Fibrizo stole him away and she had run after him screaming his name, she knew that she loved him with everything that she had. Her life wasn't worth much without him in it.

_You feed a dog for three days..._

Lina blinked open sleepy eyes and saw that she was alone. It was a lot warmer than it'd been the night before and she saw sunlight streaming through the trees. The storm was over. She crawled out from the shelter and got to her feet, stretching as she enjoyed the feel of the sun's rays on her body. The smell of bacon wafed through the air and she sniffed at it eagerly.

She looked over and saw that Gourry had set up a fire and had began their breakfast. She knew the routine from there. He would cook and she would fish. Neither of them were gourmet chefs, but at least together they could cobble together something edible. "I didn't realize any of our food survived that storm," she commented.

"My pack was under yours, so it stayed mostly dry."

She rolled her eyes. _Great..._ "I'm going to go get some fish."

"Okay. This should be ready when you get back," he replied without looking up at her.

She headed for the stream, then tossed one last glance at him over her shoulder. She allowed her heartbeat to stutter at the sight of him in the morning light, his hair glowing in the sunlight, his voice cheerful as he hummed some nameless tune under his breath.

_I love him so much..._

Lina swallowed and headed out on her mission. She loved him, but...if he knew and they acted on it, she could lose her best friend. She didn't want that. If being silent was what it took to keep things as they were - the easygoing, comfortable relationship that she'd come to rely on - then he would never know her feelings.

It was as simple as that.

oOoOo

**Additional notes:** Shortly after beginning "Law of the Land," I joined a LiveJournal writing community called "30 romances." The themes were perfectly suited to writing a Lina/Gourry story, so I started in on it. As the story has developed (I've currently posted six parts, or three complete chapters of fic on LJ), it's worked its way into a prequel for "Law of the Land. " The two stories will be posted concurrently, though this one is going a bit faster at the moment. Because of the nature of the plots, both stories function on their own as well. I have also started my own writing journal, known as "bunnyofferings," a link to which is in my profile. I highly recommend joining "30 romances" if you enjoy the 30-themed type communities. There's still lots and lots of couples to choose from - including Amelia/Zelgadiss!


	2. What? There's a Bounty on Me?

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while. 

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances," a themed community similar to "30 kisses." All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #3 - Banter ; Anvil and theme #4 - Diabolical ; Highest order.

oOoOo

Chapter Two: "What? There's a Bounty on Me?"

"And I heard in the next town that the Milene Rose tavern was a fantastic place to eat." Lina nearly drooled at the thought of finally filling her stomach with something other than bacon and fish - like ham, rolls, salad, fruit, potatoes...the possibilities were endless.

Gourry listened to her easy-going banter about various cuisine in the town that lay directly ahead of them and his stomach growled appreciatively in response. They had already been low on their food supplies when they had been forced to halt in the rain and he wondered if they'd had enough to make it to the next town. Lina had Raywinged them a good bit of the distance until he finally begged for mercy and they resumed walking.

They had fished again that morning and ate the final slices of bacon. He'd found some berries that they snacked on as they walked down the road. It was nice, but he was ready for a real meal with non-stop food that they didn't have to cook. And then they could go to sleep in a nice, soft bed and wake up together safe, warm and dry.

Wait. They will sleep in two beds. Separate beds. Hopefully separate rooms. Not going there, he told himself. We are so not going there.

Too late, a small part of his brain informed him. You've just nose-dived into the gutter and you're stuck.

_Gee thanks..._

Gourry slanted a look at Lina. She was so busy talking that she would never notice and he was grateful about that. It allowed him to simply watch her, and he couldn't stop being fascinated about her. Her energy drew him like a magnet, and had ever since the day he first stepped into the fight she was having with the Dragon Fang bandits.

For someone who normally kept her deepest emotions reserved, she was extremely animated. She gestured when she talked, and seemed to be brimming with energy all the time. From facing down bandits to taking out foes such as Shabra...oh, why couldn't he remember the guy's name, and Darkstar, she attacked everything with the same gusto as she did reading a book or learning magic.

The part of him sitting firmly in the gutter wondered if she would be the same way in bed.

The sane part of him instructed him to not think along those lines or else he would be making himself miserable. Lina was his best friend. Gourry never had one quite like her. She never questioned him on his past or his family. She didn't push him except when he needed to be. She teased him mercilessly over his ability to forget things, though he normally returned similar volleys in her direction when need be. She respected his ability as a swordman and even though he was her protector, they were partners. She knew he could handle his own in a battle, even though she was much stronger than him when it came to magic.

They were comfortable around each other and could even walk in silence and not feel the odd strain that tended to come some couples at times when there was no noise. They enjoyed each other's presence. Even though she was a violent, rash, somewhat high-strung Dramata, Gourry couldn't imagine not having Lina around. Except for the minutes when he had thought he'd lost her to the Lord of Nightmares (what she called that gold thing she turned into), she'd been there for him.

But he loved her as well and couldn't remember when that started. Memories like that normally didn't keep well, though Gourry could remember the battles they fought, he couldn't give the exact details - unless it was something important.

Gourry remembered the fight against the trolls when he caught her napping on the hillside while they were suppose to be escaping Zelgadiss. He thought Lina was being lazy, but when he had reached to haul her to her feet, he'd been shocked to discover that she'd been bleeding badly and was hiding it for his sake. That's when he discovered how much he respected and admired her. He remembered her casting the Giga Slave against that Rezo/Shabra-guy and knew that was the moment that he absolutely trusted her to get them out of any sort of danger. He knew when that Copy Rezo guy attempted to shoot Sylphiel and she intercepted the blast that he deeply cared for her.

But when they were fighting Kanzael on the field floating above Saillune City and Lina had fallen over the side, he remembered feeling that his heart had followed her.

Gourry knew that there was no way of killing Kanzael. He knew he would die. But, he would go down fighting for her. When Lina had suddenly shown back up and killed Kanzael, Gourry felt his world fall back into place. Relieved, frustrated, he asked her to consider his feelings before pulling such a stunt again.

And she had apologized.

Although the "I'm sorry" couldn't change the hurt, the sense of betrayal or the fear, he realized that those were two words that she didn't say very often - and that's when he realized that she cared about him as well and silently vowed that he would remain by her side as long as she would have him.

And the moment she had faded from his arms in that blank nothingness, he realized how much he loved her and would had done anything to have her back at his side. He didn't remember much, other than waking up with her in his arms and realizing that all was right once more in the world.

He couldn't believe they'd been together for nearly five years. He was grateful to Amelia for reminding him when Lina's birthday was. They had returned to Saillune and Amelia used her remaining bracelet to contact Zelgadiss so he could send birthday wishes as well. Then they had joined Sylphiel and had a party for her.

It was then that Gourry realized how much Lina had changed. She had finally filled out and looked more like a woman than a little girl. Her temper was a bit more even and she had fun. She had made the comment about how Saillune felt like a home to her, and he had an image of actually keeping house with her. Oh, it wouldn't last long. Lina would get frustrated and Dragon Slave it most likely. But, it was a nice image to have.

And he wasn't going there with those thoughts, he reminded himself once more. Lina was his best friend. He didn't want to lose the most stable thing that'd ever been in his life because he'd entertained thoughts about sleeping with her. He loved her, and somewhere, he realized she probably knew. And right now, just being with her was enough.

"Are you listening to me? Gourry!"

He nearly plowed into her. She stood in front of him, hands on her hips. He could see the annoyance flickering in her eyes and realized he probably missed her saying something important...again.

He grinned back at her. "Sorry, Lina. I wasn't paying attention."

"I can tell that, jellyfish. Come on. The tavern's over here."

Gourry looked around and noticed that they had passed into town. He frowned, annoyed at himself for not being as observant as he normally was. He automatically began to survey the town to note the number of guards, available escape routes, etc. He had to focus or they could wind up in trouble if something - or someone - randomly attacked them.

oOoOo

"You know, we need something to do," Lina commented as they walked through the town, not quite sure if she was trying to convince herself of this or seeing if Gourry was agreeing with her. In any case, she was bored. Absolutely, downright, utterly bored.

Of course, the past few years had been interesting. Job after wacky job with Naga. Meeting Gourry, then immediately getting entangled with Rezo and Shabranigdu. The run to Sairaag and the fight with Copy Rezo. The search for the Claire Bible, then Gourry being kidnapped and the subsequent fight with Hellmaster Fibrizo. The journey to the outer world, meeting Filia and battling the Darkstar. Finding a new sword for Gourry, then battling Dynast and another piece of Shabranigdu.

Sometimes Lina wondered if she was 20 or 200. Maybe those rumors about her being older than her age really was true after all.

In any case, she and Gourry had done enough in the past five years to fill up a lifetime for an average person. What, she had at least another 60-70 years or so of life expectancy - and that's if she didn't tap into her magic. At the rate she was going, she'd probably fight all seven pieces of Ruby Eye twice before she was 50. Lina fought the urge to groan.

"So, what do you think?" she slanted a look at her partner. "Maybe there's a job here, or an artifact we can...Gourry? Are you listening to me? Gourry!"

He nearly knocked her to the ground as she whirled around to face him. She sighed when she recognized the vaguely clueless look in his eyes, which usually told her that he had been lost in thought and wasn't paying attention to her.

His eyes cleared and he grinned at her. "Sorry, Lina. I wasn't paying attention."

"I can see that, jellyfish. Come on. The tavern's over here." Lina pointed at a building straight in their path and her stomach rumbled in response. Okay, first thing's first. Food was her highest priority at the moment, then finding something to do.

Gourry surveyed the room as they walked in. It was a bit fancier than the last few places they'd eaten, but anything was better than the miserable weather they endured outdoors lately. The room was divided into two halves - one side with a counter that served as a bar with benches and long tables taking up the space and the other with smaller tables that were set up a bit more elegantly.

Lina immediately headed for one of the long tables. There was more room for food, and this would be where she could pick up news on most jobs. They ordered their food, promptly terrifying the waitress. Lina hummed cheerfully after she scurried off.

"You get some sort of perverse pleasure out of torturing waitresses," Gourry commented. "Why do you always do that?"

She grinned at him and waved her finger at him. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's a secret," she replied with a wink.

He gulped. "Lina, you're starting to sound like Xelloss."

She chuckled to herself. "I'm in a good mood, so I'll take it as a complement. Now, we need to get back into shape. We've been loafing around too long." She looked over at the bar and noticed a middle-aged man with a slight mustache standing behind it. "Hey, mister! Do you know of any jobs, treasure or bounties recently posted?"

The bartender frowned and stroked at his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm...not much going on lately. Though, there was a notice that was posted up here a few days ago about a rogue sorcerer that the Sorcerer's Guild is trying to locate."

A rogue sorcerer? This grabbed Lina's attention and she noticed that even Gourry was fixated on the bartender.

"Lina, why would they be looking for a red sorcerer?" he asked her.

Lina sighed and smacked his arm. "Not a rouge sorcerer, Gourry. A rogue sorcerer. Someone who has fallen out of favor with the Sorcerer's Guild and has grown so powerful that they consider that sorcerer a threat." Visions of gold coins danced in Lina's head. "Such a person would command a high bounty from the guild because that sorcerer would be extremely hard to catch."

"Ah, I see."

"Sometimes I wonder." She turned her attention back to the bartender. "Did the guild leave behind a notice?"

"Yeah." He pointed at a notice tacked up to an otherwise bare bulletin board. Lina got up to go look at it as he kept talking. "Some girl, I think she's about your age. They didn't tell me her real name, just that she's known to them as Lina the Pink."

Lina froze. Her head snapped around, the blood draining from her face. "Did you...did you say Lina the Pink?"

"Yeah." The bartender glanced at Lina and noticed her pale face. "Are you okay, miss? It sounds like you've had a run-in with this sorceress."

"Of sorts..." Lina backed up to the table and grabbed Gourry's ear. "Say one word," she hissed, "and I am kicking your ass." She straightened, tossed more than enough coins to compensate for both hers and Gourry's meal on the table and hauled him out of the tavern as fast as she could run.

oOoOo

"Wait...wait! Slow down! Stop!" Gourry clung to Lina for dear life as she Raywinged them further and further down the road. He was alternatively worried about her and scared out of his wits. The earlier trips had seemed fast to him, but now they were racing through the sky at such a high speed that he didn't dare look down. So he gripped Lina's waist with all of his might and prayed to every single god he could think of that the nausea churning in his gut wouldn't overwhelm him before they landed. 

Lina's mind was racing as fast as her body. The Sorcerer's Guild had classified her as rogue? The hell? It didn't make sense. Why would she be targeted for such a classification? Granted, she didn't utilize her position much. Not many people other than Gourry knew her status as Lina the Pink and he had found out by accident. She parted ways with the guild as soon as she could, but they were on amicable terms. She'd even done guard work for the Atlas City guild! Who did she manage to upset so much and why would they want to do something that even the guild considered diabolical?

She didn't pursue the line of thought much farther. She felt her strength wane as the spell began to weaken.

"Lina!"

She snapped out of her daze and noticed Gourry pressing his face into her side. He was easily a good foot taller than her, yet he was trembling like a child. Realization and guilt slammed into her one right after the other. Gourry's fear of flying. She'd gone too far, too fast for him. She swore under her breath as she spotted a clearing and took them down.

When their feet hit the ground, Gourry immediately pushed Lina away. It unbalanced her to the point where she landed on her butt. She was starting to yell at him when he turned, ran to the base of a tree and proceeded to lose what remained of his breakfast and dinner the night before.

She turned away from his wretching, half-annoyed with him and furious with herself. She wasn't quite sure how to handle it, to explain or apologize. Instead, she pulled out her waterskin and a handkerchief from her cloak. She dampened it and approached his side.

He knelt on the ground, the illness reduced to dry heaves. She got down on her knees and pulled his hair out of his face. Then she handed over the handkerchief. He wiped his mouth and gave her a weak smile. "Sorry, Lina. I didn't mean to..."

"Don't dwell on it," Lina ordered him and passed over the waterskin. "Don't drink too much."

"Thank you." Gourry took a long swallow of water. It cool and soothing on his raw stomach, but he didn't want to risk anymore. He allowed Lina to guide him away to the other side of the small clearing, where they simply sank to the ground next to each other.

She gazed at the ground, knowing she needed him to understand why she panicked. "Look, I'm sorry about that. It just happened and...," she sighed. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Gourry gave Lina a warm smile. "Things like that happen."

Her head snapped up and she was amazed at the cheerful expression, She wouldn't be so nice if the situation had been reversed.

"Though, I do wonder about why they think you're red. I mean, your eyes are red and all, but aren't you called Lina the Pink? Why does the Sorcerer's Guild want to say you're red?"

The absurd statement made Lina laugh and it felt so good to do so. "Again, it's rogue, not rouge! Get it right, jellyfish!" Her smile dimmed. "It means that I'm wanted by the guild for some reason." She hopped to her feet and began to pace.

"It's not like I have much use for the Sorcerer's Guild, with the exception of using the knowledge provided in the libraries to learn spells. Most of what is taught by the guild are non-lethal spells. They don't go around teaching folks how to do Dragon Slave, for example. It's self-taught. That's why Sylphiel has such a hard time with spells like Flare Arrow. She has to teach herself that sort of magic and has to be motivated to do it."

Like she was with the Dragon Slave, Lina added silently. Gourry still was not aware of Sylphiel's knowledge of that particular spell. Sylphiel never volunteered the information and Lina had chosen to follow her silence.

"So, it doesn't mean anything?" Gourry asked, leaning against the tree trunk.

She whirled around to face him. "It means a lot actually. It means that somehow I have affronted the guild's honor. And they absolutely can't stand that. It means they want to track me down by any means possible. Most sorcerers would piss themselves at the thought of being called rogue. I don't give a damn, except that means we're going to be hunted down like we were wanted years ago in Sairaag."

Lina frowned. "I haven't tangled with the guild in four years! Why come after me now?"

Gourry rubbed his chin. "Maybe they're trying to prevent you from doing something else?"

"What an idiot...or not," Lina gave him a half-smile. "Maybe you're onto something, Gourry."

She crouched before him. "The Sorcerer's Guild is mainly a political force. You could see by how those elections in Atlas City had everyone messed up. It's where most people get their start in magic, but they don't have any real magical power. That was all sealed away a couple hundred years ago so you wouldn't have all of these super-powerful magicians. If you wanted to get good at magic, you had to work at it."

Lina lifted her gaze and wasn't surprised to see that Gourry had dozed off. She reached out and yanked his shirt. "Jellyfish, why don't you listen...gah," she cried as she pulled him too far and he fell forward onto her.

He outweighed her by a good 70 pounds or so, especially with the armor on, and seemed to be fast asleep. Lina pushed at him and started to wiggle out from beneath him, cursing herself that she didn't have the strength she normally did. "Geez, Gourry, let me go!"

She managed to budge him a few inches when his arms suddenly came around her and clamped onto her tightly. It was a hold she recognized - the same that he used when she was flying and he was doing his best not to make a fool out of himself. She pushed at him and considering using a spell to blast them apart, but the backlash would just take her out. She reared back and started to give him one final shove when he suddenly turned his head into her neck and began to nuzzle it.

It completely broke her concentration. She forgot what exactly she was suppose to be doing at the moment as his nose and lips lightly grazed the skin near her pulse. She took a moment to analyze the slightly ticklish sensation. It felt nice, she decided as odd little flutters began in her abdomen. It was good enough to lie here for a moment and just enjoy it...

_Snap out of it, Lina!_ Her world snapped back into focus and once again, she pushed at him. "Stop it, Gourry! Have you gone nuts? We have no time for this!"

The slight nuzzling was replaced with light kisses. Her breath hitched.

"Gourry! Wake up!" Lina wrapped her arms around him, then bucked up as hard as she could, wincing as the sharp points of his armor dug into her clothes. This time it worked. She managed to flip him onto his back. She pulled away enough to move her hand up to his face and cast a Lighting spell.

He shouted as the light temporarily blinded him and he automatically shoved Lina away. She landed up against the tree, their positions now reversed from just a few minutes before. She panted as he sat up and gazed around blankly.

"Huh? What happened, Lina?" Gourry's eyes darted around before settling on hers.

"You don't remember?" she asked, incredulously. Then again, this was Gourry she was talking to.

"The last thing I remember was being sick, then you talking about the Sorcerer's Guild. I guess I fell asleep." He held up his hands apologetically and gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that. Did I do something wrong?"

_He really doesn't remember?_ Twin feelings of relief and annoyance tugged at Lina. She buried her head in her hands. "We'll talk about it later. For now, let's see if we can find a town nearby without that damn notice. Thankfully, they're using my guild name and not the name 'Lina Inverse,' but it won't take long for people to put two and two together. Let's go."


	3. Lina's Unexpected Surprise

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances," a themed community similar to "30 kisses." All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #5 - Trickery ; Magic.

oOoOo

Chapter Three: "Lina's Unexpected Surprise"

Lina had found a notice in the next village, but like the first one, it didn't give her real name. Just as a precaution, she had removed her cloak and headband before going in the inn, stowing those away in Gourry's pack. She considered stopping at a seamstress shop and seeing if there were any simple ready-made dresses for purchase. It annoyed her to take these measures, but the unpleasant memories of being wanted a few years earlier had taught her a few things about disguises and getting what she needed when she was really desperate.

She considered herself lucky though. Gourry wasn't wanted and none of the notices said she was traveling with a partner. So when they arrived at the inn to get rooms for the night, Lina amended her usual request.

"One room, please," she stated to the innkeeper. "But, with two beds." She stepped on Gourry's foot when she heard the intake of breath behind her. Normally, rooming together was a last resort when there were no other rooms, but she didn't want to risk being attacked by some overzealous warrior eying the chance to make some quick cash off her bounty.

After they were escorted to their room, Lina claimed the bed near the window by flopping on it. Automatically, she cast a Lock spell on the window, then simply relaxed. Dimly, she heard the sounds of Gourry removing his sword, then his armor. She yawned and settled herself more comfortably. Maybe just a small nap. Then dinner...

She woke just as the first rays of dawn started to peek on the horizon. She stirred and noticed that she now had a blanket tucked around her. She glanced across the room and noticed Gourry sleeping soundly in his bed, snoring lightly. She stretched and tiptoed to the door.

She visited the washroom, then crept outside to see if the tavern nearby happened to be open for an early breakfast. It wasn't, so she headed back to the inn. After making sure no one was around, she yanked the Sorcerer Guild notice off the bulletin board there and cheerfully torched it. Then she headed back to her room to lie down for a couple more hours.

Lina slipped behind the privacy shield to change into her pajamas so she would have a couple of hours at least without her clothes on. This time, she slipped beneath the covers and stared at the ceiling. It'd been an hour or so from dark when they reached this village and so she must had slept about 10 to 12 hours. She wasn't surprised considering the conditions they'd been camping in and her overkill of the Raywing spell yesterday.

She thought she'd be able to fall back asleep fairly quickly, but instead, she stared at the ceiling. The last time she'd made anyone mad enough to the point where she'd actually been wanted was when Eris was luring her into Sairaag to face Copy Rezo. Before that, Zelgadiss had wanted the statue containing the Philosopher's Stone for the real Rezo - then to prevent him from using it. Since then, while she definitely had a reputation, it mainly kept most people away from her.

The guard duty that the group had performed in Atlas City had been the last time Lina had stepped into a Sorcerer's Guild problem. She tended to avoid the guild except to use the libraries upon occasion. That's where its strength lie. She always felt a bit cheated that the guild mainly catered to the upper-class and nobility by offering various classes in what she considered trick and very basic spells. Any of the serious spells, including most of the harder spells, were self-taught.

Lina had been the youngest graduate ever of the Zefielia Sorcerer's Guild. Most who entered didn't walk before they were 14 or 15. She'd far exceeded what the guild could teach her when she was 12. Because of her age, the head of the guild decided that her color would be pink. Her classmates had teased her and said she would be a perfect cabaret dancer. Lina had decided it was time to listen to Luna's urging for her to go out and see the world and had fled before the official ceremony.

So, technically, she wasn't really an official member of the Sorcerer's Guild, she mused. She'd taken all the requisite classes, but skipped the graduation. Some still knew of her title, and she wondered how in the hell Gourry had picked up that knowledge. She figured she'd gotten a bit tipsy and let it spill. It was the only way. At least he didn't rub it in her face.

She exhaled and turned to face him. Still asleep. She watched him and wondered about the strange incident in the forest. She'd never seen Gourry get physically ill following a flying stint, but they'd spent a lot of time in the air the day before. He'd always hated it. The first time she carried him, he'd clung to her waist and whimpered like a child, even after they'd landed. Since then, he usually bore the task in somewhat stoic silence - or he'd complain and annoy the living daylights out of her.

But nuzzling her neck? Automatically, she touched the side of her neck that his lips had grazed. That was just so...so not Gourry.

They were physical with each other to a certain degree. He constantly ruffled her hair like a child. She's slap him on the back and drag him by the arm. He would sometimes put his arm around her. Occasionally, they hugged. Lina was even quite sure that they'd kissed at one point, but couldn't decide if that had been real or just simply a dream she'd had while the Lord of Nightmares had taken over her body. It was safer to believe that it had been just a dream, otherwise it would make things too...weird between them.

But, she hadn't been dreaming when he nuzzled and kissed her neck. Though, she was quite certain he was. What do you dream about, Gourry, she wondered as she drifted off to sleep.

oOoOo

She stirred a few hours later when she inhaled the lovely scent of bacon, eggs, toast, sausage and other breakfast-type items. She shot up and noticed that the table in the room was covered with food, glorious food. And lots of it, though Gourry was currently plowing his way through a good portion of it. He glanced up when she let out an involuntary squeal of delight.

"Good morning, sunshine," he said, though it sounded more like "goof mwing, sonshen" because of the food in his mouth.

Lina practically dove for the empty seat. Within seconds, she'd loaded up a plate and was filling her equally empty stomach. "This is fantastic! I thought that this inn doesn't serve any meals."

"They don't." Gourry quickly helped himself to more sausage before Lina could grab the remaining on the platter.

Her fork halted midway to her mouth. _He'd gone to get the food and carried it back?_ Granted, the tavern was next door to the inn, but it was still a lot of food. And he'd _paid_ for it. Lina bit her lip and fought the urge to blush. That was so sweet of him, especially after what she did to him yesterday. Damn it, she hated it when he made her feel this way, especially after what he'd done to her.

"Oh, and that arrived for you," Gourry pointed at an envelope lying on top of Lina's wardrobe.

"Mail?" Lina shoveled a couple more forkfuls of eggs and sausage into her mouth, grateful that she didn't have to acknowledge the breakfast, at least for now. "We usually don't get that unless it's from Amelia." And even then, she thought, the letters were sporadic. After constant begging from the princess, Lina had purchased a mailbox at a town she and Gourry normally frequented during their travels. Every few months or so, they'd stop and check to see what news Amelia had sent their way.

"Yeah, the innkeeper said the guy's been searching for us for months."

Her interest piqued, Lina reached for the letter. A second later, with an involuntary slap of the wrist, she batted away Gourry's fork from getting her bacon. Then she retaliated by going for his eggs.

The two immediately waged war on each other, only stopping when the last morsel of food had been devoured and they both were pleasantly stuffed. Lina eyed the dirty plates and knew what she had to do. With a sigh, she located a bucket used for dirty laundry and started to load the dishes into it.

"Whatcha doin'?" Gourry asked, chewing on the last bite of toast.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking the dishes back."

"You don't have to do tha..."

"You paid for breakfast, idiot!" Cheeks now scarlet, Lina hastily kept stacking the plates. She didn't want to talk about this, she _so_ did not want to talk about this...

He scratched his head. "I did? I thought you paid for it."

"Huh?" Lina scowled at him. "You didn't go through my cloak pockets while I was asleep, did you?"

"No, no!" Gourry immediately threw up his hands, preparing to ward off a spell attack. "Someone knocked on the door and when it opened, and when I answered, there was all this food and that letter. I saw you'd changed clothes, so I thought you ordered it and went back to sleep."

Lina whirled around and stared at the letter once more. Now she snatched it up and tore it open. She shook out a piece of paper and began to read it. After the first sentence, the color drained from her face and she weakly sank onto Gourry's bed.

"Lina, what is it?"

Hands now trembling, Lina forced herself to read the letter aloud. "Dear Lina. I've been trying to find you for several months. I figured that a free meal would stop you long enough for this letter to reach you. Come home now. Luna. P.S. You owe me for the meal. It's dated two months ago."

"Luna...that's your sister, right?"

"Yeah." A sick feeling churned in Lina's gut. "My sister wouldn't be ordering me to come home unless it was something serious. And I mean something really serious."

"Do you think something's happened to one of your parents?"

"Gods..." Now the worry turned to near panic. Lina raced behind the privacy screen and redressed. "How fast can you be ready to go, Gourry?"

"Give me five minutes." He grabbed a clean set of clothes from his pack and quickly took Lina's place when she scurried out.

It was more like 10 minutes, but they were dressed and ready for the road. Lina was already mentally plotting out the fastest route to Zefielia. Something was wrong with her parents. It had to be that. She wondered if she could talk Gourry into flying again, but doubt she could.

She quickly settled the bill and they headed out into the street. They had to pass through Saillune to reach Zefielia, and Saillune City would be in their path. Maybe she could ask Amelia for a carriage. The princess would probably do so in a heartbeat, though it would most likely mean they would gain a third traveling partner and...

"Lina-chan!"

She froze, nearly running into Gourry. _That voice..._

They both whirled around. Standing a few feet behind them was a tall man with black hair and an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth. He was a bit broader than Gourry, and looked to be quite young with a face that was nearly as handsome as a woman's. Something about the man tugged at the back of Gourry's mind, as if he'd seen him somewhere before.

Gourry felt Lina tense at his side. His hand automatically moved to his sword's hilt.

"Pa...pa...," she stammered.

"Pa? Pa who?" Gourry frowned and tried to figure out this latest mystery.

"Papa!" Lina shrieked, then ran toward the man.

oOoOo

**Additional notes:** The description of Lina's father, and subsequent background, is taken from the story "The Thing He Sees Beyond the Point of His Sword," published in one of the Slayers Special novels.

**Reviewer response:**

Gemini1: Thank you! It's providing a bit of a break from the Inuyasha fandom, especially since I'm being forced to slow down on "Shikon no Go" since it appears that Takahashi isn't going to be finishing the manga anytime soon.

Alamandorious: The events in TRY are anime-only. However, the is a manga version that is an alternate take on exploring the new world called "Knight of the Aqualord." That manga series started in 2002 and finished up earlier this year. In the manga, Lina and Gourry are exploring the world beyond the barrier, like in TRY, but a different sequence of events happens. There is no Filia, no Valgaav or anything that really links it back to the anime. Gourry no longer has the Sword of Light, but Lina doesn't have her tailsmen either - so theoretically "Knight of the Aqualord" could had taken place after the 15th novel (when she loses them.) During the course of "Aqualord," Lina and Gourry run into Amelia, who has come to the new lands representing Saillune and she joins the party. No Xelloss or Zelgadiss in this story, but the new characters are lots of fun.

In the novels, right after the Fibrizo fight, Lina and Gourry go straight into searching for a new sword for him, eventually leading to him getting the Blast Sword. I've read the first four novels entirely and have read summaries of the others. When I figured out a timeline for this, I went ahead and combined the anime and novel timelines. So for this story, it's original series, NEXT, TRY, then novels 9-15.

Fairy-Li: Thank you!


	4. Father and Daughter

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances," a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains themes #6 - Soooo not funny ; Sarcasm and #7 - Think pink ; Blow

oOoOo

Chapter Four: "Father and Daughter"

Lina prided herself on acting businesslike at all times. Okay, most of the time. Exceptions were made when her temper was pricked...which happened quite a bit as Gourry once pointed out to her - just before she clocked him in the forehead. She didn't often give into the girly squeals that Amelia did.

But this situation was different. After all, she reasoned, a girl was expected to react when she'd just seen her father for the first time in seven years.

"Papa!" she shrieked, racing the short distance to his side. Her father spat out the unlit cigarette, grabbed Lina up in his arms and twirled her around. She laughed, remembering the times he'd done that when she'd been little.

And suddenly, she understood why Amelia was always so excited to see her father whenever they returned from one of their journeys.

She literally burrowed into him, inhaling the scent of the cologne he'd used and the wine he drank for breakfast. A quick sniff confirmed that he hadn't gone back to smoking, thank goodness. It was so wonderful just to be Daddy's little girl again, even for a few minutes.

Gourry couldn't decide if he should look away, approach them or remain where he stood. He decided on the latter option. It amazed him. Lina had expressed some annoyance before over Amelia and Prince Philionel's overzealous reunions. Granted, neither Lina nor her father had broken out into twin songs about justice yet either. If either of them did so, he was running...fast and far.

Lina loosened her grip and pulled back to study him. He was essentially the same person she remembered, but with greying hair around his temples and a few extra lines etched into his face that she hadn't remembered seeing before. Absently, she wondered if she helped out them there. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you!" Her father threw back his head and laughed. "I was about to give up and go home, when I caught sight of you entering town yesterday. I lost track of you pretty quickly, but then stumbled upon you at the inn. By the way, you owe your sister eight gold for that meal."

Lina's eyes narrowed. "Eight gold? For that meal? It wasn't even worth five gold! Papa, how could you?"

"I had to tip them to bring it over to the inn."

"You don't tip them three gold for carting a substandard meal next door! One gold at the most."

"It's not my money, Lina-chan."

"No, it's my money since I have to pay her back!"

"Hence why I have no problems spending it," her father replied with a quick grin.

"That's so not funny, Papa!"

Gourry was convinced. This man was definitely Lina's father.

Lina's father peered over his daughter's shoulder at the swordsman standing a few feet away from them. He glanced down at Lina, then back at her companion. He gave Gourry a broad smile. "So, son! You've finally found a good use for that sword of yours, I see!"

Lina and Gourry both turned pink, then scarlet. "Papa, it's not like that!"

Gourry realized his next statement would literally mean life or death for him. So, he crossed his arms over his chest, gave Lina's father the most serious gaze that he could muster and replied, "Inverse-san, I utilize my sword to the best of my abilities whenever I'm around your daughter and am able to keep her happy."

"Cut it out with the sword innuendo!" Lina yelled at him.

"Huh? Who's got a sword in a window?" Gourry scanned the area, wondering if someone was in trouble.

"Jellyfish!"

"There's jellyfish with a sword in a window?"

"No, egghead!" Lina marched back over him and grabbed his shirt. "There's nothing but jellyfish in your brain!"

Gourry blinked innocently at Lina. "But you just said..."

Lina's father watched and smiled as the two argued. He'd heard rumors about her traveling with the Swordsman of Light and it hadn't taken him long to figure out it'd been the same young man he'd prevented from throwing his sword into the sea several years earlier. Fate has a way of working in mysterious ways, he marveled.

"I still don't get it!" Gourry protested.

"Look, you just told my father that you were using your sword to make me happy!"

"I do use my sword to make you happy," he replied in a serious tone and ignored her shocked gasp. "Whenever you're in trouble, I use the Blast Sword to protect you. Doesn't that make you happy?"

Lina simply blinked in astonishment at him. She wasn't sure if she wanted to throttle him or...throttle him. Instead, she wearily leaned her forehead against his chest and considered hitting herself against his breastplate just hard enough so she could pass out and be free from her current insanity. "Oh, Gourry...Gourry...you jellyfish," she said softly, almost affectionately.

"Lina-chan."

She automatically shoved Gourry back before whirling around to face her father. "Papa, this is Gourry," she said, indicating the heap of swordsman on the ground behind her. "He's my protector."

"Yes, I'm familiar with him."

Her eyes widened with surprise. "You are? You've met him?"

Her father stroked his chin. "He's talking care of that Sword of Light of his, isn't he now? I swear, he was behaving just like a third-rate swordsman, wanting to throw that beauty into the sea..."

Lina whirled back around, hands clenched into fists. "You nearly threw the Sword of Light into the sea?"

Gourry decided he was definitely confused, with Lina and her father both discussing the family heirloom he no longer had. He got to his knees. "But, we don't have the Sword of Light anymore, Lina."

"You no longer have the Sword of Light!" Lina's father cried, outraged.

Lina whirled around. "Papa, it's a long story," she hastily said before turning her attention back to Gourry. "I know that, jellyfish! I mean before, when you met my father!"

Gourry scratched his head. "When did I meet your father?"

"Gourry!"

"Lina-chan, how in the world did you manage to let something so valuable get away?

"Papa!"

It took nearly half an hour, a trip back inside the tavern and half a bottle of wine before the entire story was related. Gourry's memory appeared to kick-start once he figured out what was going on and recounted a vague story about encountering a fisherman while deciding what to do with the Sword of Light during his years as a mercenary. Between the two of them, Lina pieced together what happened and was quite impressed that Gourry and her father had worked together to defeat a Mazoku.

But when she asked why he wanted to throw the Sword of Light into the sea, Gourry remained tight-lipped on that. She didn't press it and a slanted glance at her father confirmed that he felt that particular subject would be Gourry's to tell Lina on his own timetable. Lina figured Gourry would probably forget and she would have to remind him one day.

They ordered lunch, then moved onto recounting the tale of how the Sword of Light was lost, Lina doing pretty much all of the talking. She heavily censored the account, basically explaining how Gourry was kidnapped by Hellmaster Fibrizo, she cast the Giga Slave to break the spell holding him captive and in the resulting melee, the Sword of Light got absorbed into the Giga Slave. She decided it was not a wise thing to describe how the Lord of Nightmares inhabited her body. Gourry remained tight-lipped on that as well, but it helped when she stepped on his foot at several intervals during the tale. She also related how Xelloss had gotten the sword back, but Gourry decided to let it rejoin the other weapons of light after the end of their fight with Dark Star.

Her father was crushed and Lina couldn't blame him. They were a merchant family and the Sword of Light had been valuable. So, she launched into the story about how they acquired the Blast Sword and that seemed to comfort him. This time, both Lina and Gourry talked freely about their adventures, about Lina's early adventures with Naga and then the most recent ones with Amelia, Zelgadiss, Filia and Xelloss, and Luke and Millina as well. By the time they'd reached the conclusion of their story, it was well after dark and they had spent the entire day talking and eating.

It had been, to Lina, a very good day.

In fact, it even made her forget about her current problem - until her father pulled a familiar-looking parchment out of his coat pocket.

An uneasy feeling settled in Lina's stomach as he placed it on the table and pushed it across to her. She scanned the words, recognizing the notice that she and Gourry had initially seen the day before. Her father noticed the slight flicker of distress in her eyes and folded his arms on the table.

"You know what that is, don't you, Lina-chan?"

"Yes. Gourry and I saw it yesterday." She pulled it to her and fiddled with it.

"It's actually an older notice, but it took awhile before the Guild realized that you weren't in Zefielia and released it to the other kingdoms. Let me tell you what's going on back at home."

Lina's father poured another cup of coffee. He gestured to the plate of cookies that were brought out for dessert. Gourry grabbed one, but Lina kept her hands folded in front of her feeling slightly uneasy.

"About a year ago, Josef the Blue came to see us. You remember him, right?"

"The chairman of the Zefielia Sorcerer's Guild. The guy's old as dirt. He gave me that...name." Lina shuddered at the memory. "The man's a pedophile."

"Your name is why he came to see us. He said because you did not complete your graduation ceremony that you weren't officially a part of the Sorcerer's Guild."

Lina half rose out of her seat and jabbed a finger at him. "You and Mama told me it was my decision to make. I don't ever want to be known as Lina the Pink!"

"And it was. I don't blame you, Lina-chan." He shuddered. "That was a ghastly shade of pink. I never thought it would come back to haunt you like this, and your mother agreed as well, especially since she hasn't been active in the Sorcerer's Guild since your sister was born."

Lina sat back down and Gourry finished his cookie. "Inverse-san, what's the big deal over what the Sorcerer's Guild calls Lina or not?"

"Call me Raulf, son. It's okay for you to know my name now," he replied with a wink.

"When you graduate from the Sorcerer's Guild, you get a color title that shows your status," Lina explained to him. "Remember when we had that guard duty in Atlas City a few years back with Amelia and Zel? Those two were Tayrim the Violet and Daymia the Blue. You get them for having a certain status, performing certain deeds, so on and so forth."

"So why'd you get one?" Gourry asked.

"Lina-chan was the youngest-ever to complete the requirements for full guild recognition," Raulf boasted proudly. "They thought her the cutest little girl to ever be in the guild. She started when she was quite young, you know."

Gourry jabbed his thumb at Lina. "You've got the little part right, but aren't you sure that they didn't mean the deadliest girl instead of cutest?"

Lina wasn't quite sure how the vase of flowers sitting on the next table wound up smashed on Gourry's head, but the daffodils combined with the dazed expression on his face simply was lovely. "So, they're after me because I didn't show up at graduation to accept those stupid robes?" she asked as she brushed the dirt and glass bits off her hands.

"That is what they claim. They say that because of your subsequent fights with Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu and Hellmaster Fibrizo that you've gotten out of control and that they don't want one so powerful even affiliated with the Sorcerer's Guild."

Lina drummed her fingers on the table. "That makes no sense whatsoever. They're scared because I used the Giga Slave twice? They should be on their knees thanking me, not wanting to hunt me down!" Her fingers curled into a fist and she slammed it on the table. "That's completely asinine! And you said this order went out about a year ago?"

She hastily did the mental calculations. That had to be while she and Gourry were searching for the Blast Sword, not long after returning from Filia's lands after the fight with Darkstar.

"Your mother, sister and I thought so as well," Raulf confirmed and took a sip of his now-cold coffee. "Your sister has some high connections, as you well know, and she was able to determine that the order for the Sorcerer's Guild to bring you back to Zefielia came from the Eternal Queen herself. "

The color drained from Lina's face. "Her majesty, the old bat...er the Eternal Queen?"

"The very same."

"The Eternal Clean?" Gourry asked drunkenly, still disoriented from his little encounter with a flower vase.

"Eternal Queen, jellyfish," Lina explained, then sighed. She reached over and cast Recovery on him so he could focus to the best of his abilities. "Zefielia is a matriarchy, which means that it is ruled by a woman. Her title is known as the Eternal Queen. This one is Dinasa III, daughter of Jona IV. She's been in power for the past 25 years and is in her late 40s by now. She has three children, Dinasa IV, Jona and Mercul. Her husband passed away 10 years ago, but it's assumed that she had him killed."

"The queens of Zefielia are known to be similar to queen bees," Raulf commented. "Once they bear children with a mate, they get rid of said mate."

"So, in other words, she's pretty much using a man and then tossing him away?" Gourry tapped a finger against his chin as he thought this over.

"One wisecrack about me and your head will go through that ceiling," Lina growled.

"No, you've kept me around, haven't you?" He grinned at her and Lina was tempted to do it anyhow. "But does this mean that the queen selects a random person off the street to be the prince?"

"Knowing the past history of princes who have married into the royal family, it's been rough to find someone, but they usually manage it," Raulf replied.

Lina pondered over this. "I don't understand why I'd be on her bad side. I haven't done anything to her since the annual Ceiphield ritual when I was 10 and I accidentally got her with a Freeze Arrow."

Her father and Gourry both stared at her.

"What?" She held up her hands apologetically. "I was bored! I wasn't aiming for her, I swear! I thought I saw something flashing in and out behind her and was targeting it. It only tore off a little bit of her dress. Just a scrap! I'm sure she didn't even miss it! I mean, she never did really figure out I'd done it, right?"

"I was wondering who did that," Raulf muttered. Gourry simply shook his head.

Lina simply sighed and wished that it was Zelgadiss instead of her father sitting across from her. That way, she could simply fireball both of them.

oOoOo

**Additional notes:** The description of Lina's father, and subsequent background about him and his first encounter with Gourry, is taken from the story "The Thing He Sees Beyond the Point of His Sword," published in one of the Slayers Special novels.

**Reviewer response:**

rockfreak2003: Thank you for both!

Yuki Tsukihana: The M rating will prove itself in the next chapter. I'm still not quite used to the new rating system that has. Right now, I'd put this about a PG-13 rating with it going into R-rating for chapter six, then coming back down for chapter 7.

Brenda: Hehehe, it's a secret! Actually, he really was asleep. He's made gestures like that in his sleep before when he falls asleep in the second episode of NEXT, turns onto his side and puts his hand on Lina's breast.

As for the honorifics, thank you for pointing that out. It is legitimate criticism and one I do want to clarify on why I do use them. I originally watched Slayers in Japanese and subtitled and a good bit of the manga that I've read, especially "Knight of the Aqualord," is in the original Japanese. When I visualize the characters talking, they're not using "Miss Lina" or "Mister Gourry," but "Lina-san" and "Gourry-san," etc. So when I'm writing, it naturally comes out for me like that. There's actually a point to having Lina's father (and eventually her mother as well) addressing her as "Lina-chan" that will come out later in the story.


	5. Confused Feelings

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances," a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #9 - Rush ; Thrill ; Exhilaration and theme #8 Analysis ; Collection

oOoOo

Chapter Five: "Confused Feelings"

By the time they'd finished relating everything, it was well after dark and they all decided to stay for the night. It was only after Raulf retired that Lina realized that she should had asked him to stay with Gourry while she took over the single room. Granted, her father already knew that she shared a room with Gourry on occasion, but it still felt weird - even though he knew they had separate beds as well.

Lina and Gourry kept to themselves as they got ready for bed. He extinguished the lantern and she simply stared at the ceiling.

Raulf explained that the first messenger that Luna had sent out came back six months later with no word regarding Lina. So, two months earlier, they decided that Raulf would take the next three months following leads on Lina, starting out in Saillune City. In fact, they had barely missed seeing him when Lina and Gourry departed the palace shortly after Lina's birthday. He'd been about to head back to Zefielia when he'd spotted them.

Lina folded her hands behind her head. Dinasa III, the current Eternal Queen of Zefielia. Lina had only seen her from a distance with the exception of that one absolutely tiny incident with the Freeze Arrow. In fact, the queen never did figure out it had been her - wouldn't expect a 10 year old to cast that spell that powerfully. No, Dinasa never figured it out. But Luna had and promptly punished her for it.

She felt a weight settle on the bed and her gaze fickered to meet Gourry's, who was now sitting toward the foot of her bed. She sat up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. You looked worried."

She grinned at him and waved him away. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

She exhaled in a huff. "It's not like we haven't faced a bounty or anything like this before. Though, I do wonder why Dinasa wants me taken out of the public eye." She frowned and mulled over it. "I haven't been to Zefiel City in seven years. Somehow, I've become a threat to her, and she is hoping the Sorcerer's Guild will take me out."

It's much more than that, Lina thought. The Sorcerer's Guild was mainly a political force now and held no real power. It was a ruse and one that any reasonable sorcerer could see though. But, she had to go check it out. She didn't want to risk her family being harmed, though Luna could more than take care of anything that happened. Granted, even the Eternal Queen would suffer should she have the Knight of Ceiphied and her parents harmed.

But in the years since Lina had left home, she finally emerged from her sister's shadow and was on her own. Dinasa wouldn't hesitate to target her.

Gourry watched as the emotions on Lina's face changed from worry, to concentration, back to worry, then slightly angry. He decided there wasn't much more he could do for now.

"Don't worry. I'm sure everything is going to be all right," he reassured her. With that, he leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead.

She stared up at him and felt something inside of her snap. She wasn't sure if it was the combination of the stress from knowing that Zefielia's queen had something against her and trying to figure out what the hell happened in the forest with Gourry the day before or not. Maybe it was because she was now 20 and certain parts of her were waking up. Or maybe she was sick and tired of being treated like a potential lover one minute and a little girl the next. Before Gourry could pull away, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him close and kissed him.

She felt his quick intake of breath as he realized what was happening. After a moment, his arms came around her and he took control of the kiss. It was a good thing too, she realized, because she had no idea what to do next. A faint memory, or maybe it was a dream, of having done this before tugged at her mind. But she hoped he'd known what to do in this instance and was relieved that he did.

She enjoyed the way the kiss made her feel. Something was tingling inside her body low in her abdomen, similiar to whenever she started to conjure a spell. She could smell him - the clove oil he used to polish his sword, the soap from his bath and his distinctly male scent. She felt warm, safe and protected and knew somewhere, somehow, she'd done this before.

Something pressed against her lips, trying to work its way inside her mouth and she automatically pulled away, confused.

Gourry simply smiled at her. "Open your mouth, Lina."

She did, mainly to ask him why, but instead he took advantage of it and took the kiss deeper. Twin instincts battled - one to kick him to the other side of the room and the other to kiss him back. The increasingly heady, giddy feeling in her body won out and she kissed him back, tenatively exploring on her own.

Once she discovered kissing using tongues wasn't as disgusting as the concept sounded, and the result made her feel quite good in return, she became an enthusaistic partner. She wiggled her way closer to him and wound up straddling him in the process.

Two things happened at once. The first was that she felt something hard probing against her.

The second was that he broke off the kiss.

They stared at each other, somewhat stunned. Lina struggled to find her voice and was disgusted that she couldn't think of anything to explain what had just happened. Curiousity? Well, yes, that was part of it. Nature finally taking its course? Maybe it was that as well. Pride, and a little desperation, demanded that she say something, anything to return things to what they'd been a few hours earlier.

Instead, Gourry was the one who gently extracted himself from the embrace, ruffled her hair and gave her a smile. "Good night, Lina," he told her, before heading back to his own bed and slipping beneath the covers.

What was this? Lina grabbed her pillow and nearly chucked it at him in frusturation. Didn't he want to know why she initiated their kiss? Wasn't he going to explain some stuff to her about what he did to her mouth when he took over the kiss? And just what was that hard thing that pressed against her after she straddled him? The answer to the last question hit her like being doused with cold water and she suddenly fell back, banging her head on the headboard.

She grumbled, rubbed her head and noticed that Gourry was already snoring away on his side of the room. So, with some measure of satisfaction, Lina threw her extra pillow at him, turned onto her side facing the window and willed herself to go to sleep. 

oOoOo

_He rose over her in the dark. the moonlight catching his hair and turning it pure gold. She ran her fingers through it as she cradled him, held him close to her as he pressed kisses down the nape of her neck. He moved into her and she stretched and accepted him. She heard his long, tortured groan and marveled in the power she had over him. She clung to him, tears leaking from her eyes as he drove them higher and higher. His hand moved between their joined bodies as he sought to give her the same pleasure that he felt. Her head lolled back as his fingers worked their magic on her. Then, just as he reached his climax, she hit hers and cried out his name._

"Gourry!"

"Lina?"

Lina blinked her eyes open and stared at the ceiling. Her sweat-soaked pajamas clung to her skin and her breathing was labored. It took her a moment before she realized that someone was speaking to her - and that someone happened to be in the room, shaking her shoulders and was the object of said dream.

"Lina, are you okay? Do you need me to get a healer?" Gourry sounded worried and she wondered just how much of her dream had been verbal.

She sat up and wasn't quite sure her legs were steady enough to hold her. Something pulsed, deep and low in her body and she couldn't quite identify it or shake it. It felt very much like the feeling that had started to spark inside her when she and Gourry kissed the night before, but much stronger. Her throat felt like someone had shoved rags into it.

"Lina?"

Gourry? Oh, right. She blinked and truly noticed him for the first time and didn't have the energy to shove him back to his side of the room. "I'm fine. It's just...I had a nightmare, that's all," she lied. "I was remembering the time we fought Filbrizo and you got kidnapped. That's all." She managed a wan smile.

He frowned at her and ruffled her hair. "Are you sure you're okay? You were calling my name for awhile. More like moaning it."

"A little shaky, but fine." That she was honest with him about, but the fact that he heard her moaning his name embarrassed the hell out of her. She managed a friendly slap on his back. "I'm just going to change and go outside for some fresh air. Then I'll come right back in and go to sleep."

"I'll go with you." Gourry started for the privacy screen to change.

Lina quickly waved her hands at him. "No, no, it's not necessary! I need a few minutes to myself."

"Well, I need to go with you anyhow. It's morning. Aren't we meeting your father for breakfast?"

It was? Lina managed to get up and stumble over to the window. She blinked in amazement at the sunlight and the people milling about in the street. "What time is it?"

"About 8 o'clock." She heard the familiar ring of metal against metal as Gourry buckled his armor on.

They swapped places and she quickly dressed. The more clothes she donned, the better she felt. By the time she fastened her cloak, she felt more like herself and less like the somewhat bewildered, hormone-crazed woman that inhabited her body for the past 12 hours. She emerged from behind the screen, gave Gourry a friendly slap on the back and reminded him that if he didn't hurry, she'd eat all of their breakfast.

They raced each other to the tavern.

oOoOo

Gourry hung slightly behind Lina and Raulf as they headed down the road toward the Zefielia border. They actually weren't that far from it - still in the northern region of Saillune, though they traveled (by foot thankfully) at a good pace for most of the past week, not even stopping to see Amelia when they passed through Saillune City. Lina had apologized for not doing so, but it would had added on at least a day's extra travel when they needed to travel as fast as possible. They would make it up to Amelia later.

The rear position was one Gourry preferred when there was more to the traveling party than just himself and Lina. It allowed him to keep his senses trained toward the shadows and for anything that would ambush them from the rear or side. Experience taught him that most surprise attacks came from there rather than head-on. He had two people to protect now and he took that job very seriously.

He felt slightly strange. He liked Lina's father, even from the first time that he'd met him. He admitted that if it hadn't been for him, he most likely would had never met Lina to begin with.

One distinct memory came back to him, of when the two were in the village of Kulsida. Lina's father had started talking about his family and the noisy home they caused and noted how he was traveling to waste his time because his family wasn't expecting him back for awhile. Then, he commented about how troubled Gourry appeared to be.

"Don't show your troubled face before the girl with whom you fall in love," Raulf advised him.

That bit of wisdom had rolled around in the back of his mind for years, but Gourry had forgotten where it had came from. He figured it was something his grandmother had once told him and attributed it to that. But he had taken the advice to heart and did his best not to display his worries to Lina. Even when he was worried the most about her, he managed a smile for her. That had even caught Amelia's attention.

"Gourry-san, I do admire your ability to smile," Amelia commented to him when the two were traveling together to find Lina and the others after being separated during the effort to stop Darkstar's portal from opening. "No matter how bad things get and no matter how worried Lina-san is, you still smile at her and you remain by her side and that comforts her."

He found it ironic that the ever-cheerful Amelia even commented on it, but was glad that he'd taken the words to heart. Gourry knew what they meant now. It was why he had questioned Lina the night before after watching her stare at the ceiling for close to half an hour, unable to sleep.

Then, she'd done the strangest thing by kissing him. And he couldn't help but kiss her back. He'd resigned himself to being content with being her protector and keeping her safe. He enjoyed the friendship and camaraderie with them and even now, it was starting to feel a bit strained. That was proven when Lina tried to wave him off after her nightmare.

Except, he was convinced that the way she'd been moaning his name wasn't exactly the way it would sound when someone was scared, but rather when they were aroused.

Usually Lina made it quite clear as to what she wanted. If she wanted treasure, she'd announce her intention to raid a bandit camp. If she wanted food, they'd make tracks for the nearest restaurant. If there was Mazoku to be defeated, she would normally mention something to him.

But now, Gourry had no idea what she wanted - or even what he wanted. Did he want to take things further? What if they did, screwed things up and they lost their friendship in the process?

Raulf had mentioned all those years ago about how he'd been alone, then he had a family and the result was a noisy home. And even though he wandered at times, he always knew that in his heart, he wasn't alone.

Gourry had been alone when he first encountered Raulf. Now he had Lina and she was his family, along with Amelia and Zel. He didn't think he could handle being alone again.

But, a small voice told him in the back of his mind, if you never make a move and she could fall for someone else and you would lose her that way.

He stopped walking.

If they took their relationship to the next level, they could risk losing the friendship they currently had.

If they didn't, she would be in the position to find someone else, especially now that they were traveling to her childhood home. If she was wooed away from him, that would also doom them.

Or...the third option was to try it.

Maybe it would work. It would be better than doing nothing at all and risk losing her that way.

Gourry closed his eyes and remembered the exhilaration of her initiating the kiss, then taking it over. He remembered how energetic she'd gotten and how warm and soft she'd been. For all of the teasing, she did feel like a woman to him. Without that yellow band binding her chest, he could actually tell she had cleavage. It would had been so easy to...

"Gourry! What are you doing?"

His eyes snapped open and he saw Lina and Raulf in the distance, about 100 yards away. Lina had her hands on her hips and she was tapping her foot. She was not happy.

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts."

"You're always lost in your thoughts! Come on. We have about an hour until we reach Hunsta. Step on it!"

"Right!" He broke into a jog, easily catching up with them.

oOoOo

Hunsta did not have a lot of permanent residents. Two small rows of buildings flanked the main road and the town consisted of little else. Its main function was a travel hub and a marker to let travelers know that they were in the kingdom of Zefielia. Until now, it was mainly a visual marker. But as Lina, her father and Gourry approached, they noticed a contingent of guards right before the first building.

"What is this?" Lina asked.

"This is new to me as well," Raulf replied a bit hesitantly. He cast a sidelong glance at Lina and Gourry. "Though, a few months ago, all residents of Zefielia were required to have passports proving their citizenship. It was when the bounty on you extended further than the kingdom."

"In other words, they're trying to catch me as I enter the country," Lina guessed. She took a couple of steps forward and concentrated. "Magical shield's in place. Most people wouldn't notice it, but it is designed to stop a magic-user. I'm not good at this, but let me try something."

Lina held out her hands and muttered a spell under her breath. Sparks flew from her hands, but nothing else. She cursed. "Damn it, we should had stopped by the palace and grabbed Amelia after all."

"Can you break through it, Lina-chan?" Raulf asked.

She shook her head. "Flow Break's a powerful White Magic spell and I never bothered to study it that closely. Amelia's highly skilled, she could probably break through here. But even if I did know the spell, it wouldn't do much good anyhow. I'm not good for much spellwise at the moment."

Gourry stroked his chin. "Ah, that time of the month, isn't it?"

Lina stomped on his foot. "Tell the whole world why don't you?" she hissed, her cheeks scarlet. And in front of her father to boot! He at least knew what she meant by that phrase!

Raulf patted Gourry on the back. "Son, when you've lived in a household of women, you learn when to keep your mouth shut. This might make it better for you, Lina-chan. They'll be looking for a magic-user. If you can't use magic, you're less of a target."

Lina paced. "No, but my description is the same. Luxurious chestnut hair. Wide, beguiling ruby eyes. An extra-proportionate petite body. A winning, endearing smile...how can I hide all of that?"

"Easy! Just be yourself! You're nothing like that," Gourry cheerfully told her.

Lina summoned up the remaining magic she had in her. "Fireball!" she yelled, the spell having just enough punch to knock him back a few feet into a tree.

"Really, Lina-chan, shouldn't you be treating your lover better than that?"

"He's not my lover, Papa!" Lina buried her head in her hands. Yet...but at the rate things are going, I'm either going to sleep with Gourry or I'm going to kill him.

"Ah, I'm sick of this! I'm going into town." Lina marched down the road, but her father quickly stopped her.

"You can't go past those guards like that!" Raulf called out.

She whirled around and threw her hands in the air. "Then, what do you suggest I do?"

Something about Lina's words triggered a memory in Gourry's mind. Or, he figured, maybe being thrown against a tree managed to knock something back into his brain. But as he eyed the border and then Lina, an idea began to take shape. His lips curved into a smile, one that definitely spoke of having been around Lina Inverse too long.

It was payback time.

oOoOo

**Reviewer response:**

Death Boo: Hehehe, I am currently rewatching TRY, which I am liking a lot better the second time around. The Filia and Xelloss scenes make me laugh.

AeroGirl7986: I thought that was wicked cool myself and was surprised to discover the irony behind that story - especially since four days later, Gourry met Lina herself. Lina's mother and Luna will be making an appearance here too, though Luna's exact role is being worked on. I'm trying to determine what sort of powers the Knight of Ceiphied may have. I know she's not a sorceress and she's a surperior swordswoman.

Earth Star: My goal is to make Gourry realize that all four Inverses are completely insane.

Tanwen Whitefire (and others): Thank you!

Lina Gabriev: The new ratings here at make it really hard to judge where this story should be. Technically, this chapter should be a "M" rated one if I had included it all uncut. I finally decided when in doubt, just direct people to the full chapter and not risk the wrath of the folks. The full version will be on as well when I get a chance to post it there.

As for why Lina is now determined to be rogue, that will be explained a bit more in the next couple of chapters as a lot more background information is explained, including why the news has been slow getting out.

I wasn't quite sure when Lina graduated - I know she left home at 13 and so placed the graduation somewhere around then. Here's the timeline of the fic thus far as according to Lina's age:

Age 15-16: Lina meets Gourry and they fight Rezo/Shabrandigu and Copy Rezo. They meet Zelgadiss and Amelia in the process.

Age 16-17: Lina fights Hellmaster Fibrizo.

Age 17-18: Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadiss travel outside of the Mazoku barrier and fight Dark Star Dugradigudo. While they are gone, the bounty against Lina is issued in Zefielia (roughly three or four months before her 18th birthday)

Age 18-19: Lina and Gourry fight the general of Dynast, then Dynast himself, and finally another resurrected piece of Shabrandigu. Gourry gets the Blast Sword during this time. All of this ends roughly four months or so before Lina's 20th birthday. The bounty goes beyond Zefielia.

Age 20: Lina celebrates her birthday in Saillune with Gourry, Amelia and Sylphiel. A week later, she discovers the bounty.

I hope this helps some!


	6. Revenge is Best Served a Few Years Later

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #10 - Dictionary ; Search, theme #11 - Mission (Im)possible ; Limitation, theme #31 - The Library ; Bookshop and theme #14 - Craven ; Democracy ; Aristocrat

oOoOo

Chapter Six: "Revenge is Best Served a Few Years Later"

"You are dead when this is over with," Lina seethed at Gourry. "And I'm getting Mama after you for going along with it!" she yelled at her father, who stood a few feet away with his back turned on the couple.

"Hold still, Lina," Gourry said as he struggled to buckle his armor on her. "They wouldn't think to search three men. They're looking for a flat-chested girl." He stood back and admired his handiwork. "Though, right now isn't much of a difference from your normal look."

Lina didn't have her magic. But she did have her hands and used them to grab Gourry's neck and strangle him.

"It's the truth," he choked out. "That yellow band thingy makes you flat-chested."

_Yellow band thingy?_ Lina frowned. Was Gourry trying to tell her that without it, he found her breasts attractive? Feeling naked despite the armor, she pulled away from him and stomped back over to her father.

Apparently, Gourry had felt this was ample time to get revenge on her for all the times she'd dressed him up as a girl (though one of those had been solely Amelia's doing.) Her clothes were stored in his pack and she wore his extra shirt over her leggings. Over all that, she wore his armor, which was two sizes too big for her. Her hair was braided and shoved underneath the collar of the shirt.

Lina was convinced she looked like a top-heavy lump of metal. She wondered how Gourry could even move in the stuff, it was so heavy. Granted, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as when she stuffed him into a pair of bra, panties and a pink dress, but she still wasn't pleased with this - especially with the additional breast cracks that came with it, though she wasn't quite sure if that last comment had been a crack or not.

"Don't worry, Lina! Your sacrifice won't be in vain," Gourry grinned at her. "There really _isn't_ much of a difference anyhow." He nodded seriously. "They're looking for someone who actually has breasts."

That was it. Lina took two steps toward him, and promptly fell in a tangle of armor and limbs. "Gourry!"

"You do have the part of inept squire down, don't you, Lina-chan?" Raulf approached them.

"Papa," Lina moaned.

Gourry grabbed the back of Lina's shirt collar and hauled her up. "There we go, sunshine!"

"I'm not Little Miss Sunshine at the moment!"

"Sure you're not," he replied, ruffled her hair and started to walk ahead of her.

Raulf gave him a bemused smile, then started after him. "Are you coming, Lina-chan?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lina took two more steps forward, tripped and landed in a heap again. She sighed. At this rate, it would take three days to reach the Zefielia border - and they were about 200 yards away!

Gourry wound up toting Lina on his back until they reached the guards. Raulf took charge then, pulling out his passport and presenting it. "Has there been any news of Lina the Pink?" he asked.

"No, Inverse-san," the guard replied as he stamped his passport. "Your family will be notified once she is in our posession, that Josef the Blue has declared."

"I thank you." Raulf stepped back to indicate Gourry and Lina. "These are cousins of the family from Saillune City. My nephew Kansul and his younger brother and squire Tansul."

Lina cocked an eyebrow. Her father was just as creative with coming up with names as she was.

The guard approached them and stuck his nose in Gourry's face, then in Lina's. He sniffed at her. "Boy, you smell of blood."

Lina's eyes popped open wide. He could _smell _her? Then she realized that was from where Gourry's armor was cutting into her arm and not from her period. She exhaled in relief and nodded. The guards motioned and they passed into town.

oOoOo

Lina was getting antsy. Getting through the barrier into Zefielia had been too easy, and if she learned anything during her travels, that meant there was a trap lying in wait.

"She wants me here," she informed her father and Gourry over lunch a couple of days later. "She sends out a bounty, but not a single bounty hunter has approached us. She has a fancy magical barrier put up, but I know if Amelia had been with us, it would had been wiped out. Even with those...disguises...," she slanted a dark look at Gourry, "we still had no problems getting in. They treated you like a neighbor, Papa. It doesn't make sense."

Lina had finally gone with her earlier instincts and changed into a disguise - a white shirt and tan leggings with a dark blue robe over the ensemble. She had considered wearing a dress, but didn't want to be hindered in case she needed to use her magic - which was mostly back to normal.

She pulled out the bounty and studied it again. Something seemed off about it. That's when it clicked. There was no money amount!

"The Zefielia Sorcerer's Guild is seeking a wayward member known as Lina the Pink," she read aloud in a soft voice so no one could overhear them. "Said member is considered rogue and is wanted by the guild for questioning. A reward will be offered upon presentation of said sorceress to the guild" She lowered the paper. "No firm money amount. A bounty hunter would be a fool to go after this. It's an impossible mission. They wouldn't know if they were walking into a trap or not."

She glanced outside. They were in the town of Mylenta, about half a day's walk from the entrance to Zefiel City. Although they could had pushed and made it to the capital city by nightfall, Lina insisted on stopping. Mylenta boasted the second-best library in Zefielia, and one of the few not run by the Sorcerer's Guild. Zefiel City also had a non-Sorcerer's Guild library, but it was devoid of any books regarding magic. She wanted to access both history and magical tomes.

She explained her wish to use the library to do some research before entering the city. "I'm willing to bet even with a disguise, I'll be grabbed as soon as I enter the city. Before that happens, I want to be armed with some information."

"You're going to let them capture you?" Gourry asked incrediously.

She nodded to him.

"Absolutely not! You're not that crazy!"

"It'll be the easiest way of finding out what the queen wants with me, jellyfish!" Lina patted his back. "Besides, I have the utmost confidence that you'll rescue me. You're my protector, right?"

He slanted a dark look at her. "Sometimes, I question the sanity behind that decision."

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Lina-chan?" Raulf laced his fingers together. "There are places to hide you inside the city."

"No," Lina replied firmly and stared into her wine glass. "I'm not going to put you, Mama and Luna at risk like that."

"We can take care of ourselves."

_Not if my theory about why Dinasa wants me here is right_. "Trust me on this, please? We'll develop a plan and I'll escape without a scratch." She gave him a bright smile.

Raulf sighed. "And to think I once boasted to your mother about being proud to raise two headstrong girls. I want to run an errand into the city. Promise me you won't leave here until I get back."

She nodded. "I promise."

oOoOo

The Mylenta branch of the National Zefielia Library was specifically constructed for use by travelers after members of the Sorcerer's Guild complained that the amount of travelers in the building was placing undo stress on its members. Lina privately thought that the ranked members of the guild simply didn't want to associate with whom they termed commoners. If it was a rich patron, ambassador or royalty, there seemed to be no problems accessing the Sorcerer's Guild library.

Because of this, the Mylenta library had garnered a reputation as a safe haven from Sorcerer Guild politics. There was even magical tomes here that the guild library didn't have and Lina knew that really got stuck in their craw. So with amazing cheerfulness, she dragged Gourry along with her to the library.

Books on magic and magical history were kept on the top floor, along with some practice rooms for those who wanted to try out spells. It was less dangerous to have the roof cave in than to have an entire floor of books crash down on patrons due to a wayward spell, though the library did discourage practicing inside of its facilities. Lina inhaled the smell of old books and felt excitement start to tingle low in her abdomen. She could easily spend days here discovering new spells and figuring out different ways to work them. It had been a trip like this that led to her discovering the Giga Slave.

She located a pencil and small pad of paper and scribbled down the name of a book. "Take this down to the second floor and have a librarian find this book for you," she told Gourry. "Don't attempt to find it yourself. It'll take you hours. Bring it right back here."

"What is it?" He accepted the paper and glanced at her spidery writing.

"A generic history of the royal family of Zefielia. You look for that, I'm looking for something else. Go on." She pushed Gourry toward the stairs. As soon as he was out of sight, she raced through the stacks to an area she was very familiar with.

Lina levitated herself to the top shelf and pulled out the book where she initially learned about the Giga Slave. Like the book she'd sent Gourry after, it was a history book, but this one focused a lot more on the battle between Ceiphied and Shabranigdu and the subsequent Kouma-sensou, or War of the Resurrection. It was here that the spell was mentioned, but not in any specific context. Lina had deduced the power of the spell and had tried it out from there, but she had always believed that Ceiphied called upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares to seal Shabranigdu.

She lowered herself to the ground and re-read the history that she knew so well. During the war, Mazoku had created the god-sealing field using Fibrizo, Deep Sea Dolphin, Greater Beast Zelas-Metallium and Dynast Grauscherra as the anchor points. When she destroyed Fibrizo, the field had been destroyed.

Lina glanced up from the book and tapped her chin. She heard footsteps behind her. "You remember us fighting Dynast, right? He'd taken the king of Dilss and turned him into an immortal piece of meat. It was then that Milgasia came and told us about the efforts to start a second Kouma-sensou. But, I couldn't get him completely with the Ragna Blade either, I just destroyed a part of him. But, it was an indication of the beginnings that the Mazoku could be launching a civil war against each other, and I'm wondering if it's because of destroying the seal. That started the chain of events that led to us fighting the second piece of Shabranigdu several months ago."

"Actually, no, I've only heard rumors about all of that."

Lina froze when she realized the voice didn't belong to Gourry.

"And, be it that there's currently a bounty out for you, I have every right to seize you and turn you over to the authorities. But considering that I'm a friend, I don't feel inclined to do such a thing."

She turned and spotted a the cloaked and masked figure leaning against the bookcase a few feet away from her. "Zel!"

Zelgadiss pulled down his mask and flashed a grin at her. "It's been awhile, hasn't it, Lina?"

"A year or so, give or take." Marking her place with her finger, Lina closed the book. and studied the chimera. He'd seem little different from when she'd last seen him shortly after returning from Filia's lands. His image through the Vision spell had been hazy since supposedly he'd been in the Desert of Destruction at the time. "Considering you were suppose to be in the desert three weeks ago, you made a quick trip to Zefielia."

"That's because I came across some information while in the desert that could lead to a possible cure," Zelgadiss explained. "I was on the border of the desert and Elmekia, so the trip wasn't that long using Raywing part of the time. I was thinking that the library here would have more information about it."

"What is it exactly?"

He shook his head and frowned. "An artifact of some sort consisting of several pieces. When put together, they produce a powerful spell. Then I saw you running around in here and Gourry going downstairs. You're taking more chances than you did several years back."

"That's because you know it's a fool's bounty, Zel," Lina replied with a shrug. "No bounty hunter worth his reputation would risk his life. They'd figured if I didn't fry them - and I would - that the Sorcerer's Guild would. No, they're pretty much issuing a scare tactic. I mean, come on, it's a lame excuse. I didn't accept a set of ghastly pink robes seven years ago."

"Men have killed each other over less." Zelgadiss studied Lina's face and could see the worry in her eyes. "You're worried about your family."

Because it was Zelgadiss, she could admit it. "Among other things, yes."

It took her nearly an hour to recap the fights with Dynast and how their friend Luke had a piece of Shabranigdu sealed within him and how she had defeated it - losing her demon's blood tailsmen in the process. By the time she finished, she noticed Gourry hadn't returned from his errand. "I want to run a theory by you, but I want to look at the book the jellyfish is suppose to be finding me as well," she said. "Do you have time?"

"Considering I'm getting nowhere at the moment, I could use a break," Zelgadiss admitted.

They descended to the second floor to find Gourry snoozing at a table with a book sitting next to him. Lina rapped his head to wake him up. Spotting Zelgadiss, Gourry gave him an enthusiastic greeting before Lina proceeded to haul him back upstairs.

"I can't believe you fell asleep, jellyfish," she muttered. "It shouldn't had taken that long to find a book."

"I was tired," Gourry admitted. "Your father snores loud enough to wake the dead."

Lina winced. During the trip to Zefielia, Gourry and Raulf had roomed together, and she hadn't thought to warn Gourry about her father's little annoying habit and how to rectify it. She ushered both men into one of the practice rooms and sealed the door behind them.

She leafed through the history book that Gourry had gotten and made some mental comparisons to the one magical history one that she still had. "The kingdom of Zefielia was formed after the War of the Resurrection. Out of the Kataart Mountains came a young woman with hair that was black as the night sky and eyes as blue as the sea. She happened upon a feud between two families, their holdings encompassing the land that is Zefielia today."

She glanced at the men and was pleasantly surprised to see that Gourry was still following the story. "The heirs to both holdings fell for the woman and fought over her. She proclaimed that she would marry the winner of the fight and they would become the king and queen of a vast empire. One heir slew the other and took over his lands and this came to pass. A year later, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Shortly thereafter, the king suddenly died and the popular theory of the day was that the queen had him killed."

"The woman, known as Leah or Queen Leah I, immediately took another husband from her court but refused to raise his rank to that of king. He started to rebel and she killed him even though he cried craven at that point."

Zelgadiss lifted an eyebrow. "That's where the reputation of the queens of Zefielia killing off their consorts began."

Lina nodded and started pacing the length of the room. "There's always been rumors about a secret court that the queen has that helps her amplify her power. I've been thinking about this for a few days. The order for the Sorcerer's Guild to get ahold of me was issued after the fight with Hellmaster Fibrizo and the god-sealing field was removed. The bounty expanded beyond the Zefielia borders after I defeated the piece of Shabranigdu that was sealed in Luke. Someone's not very happy that I've been doing all of this and wants to stop me."

Zelgadiss frowned and started to connect the pieces together in his mind. "Are you thinking that the current queen of Zefielia has a piece of Ruby Eye sealed within her?"

"When I was 10, I saw something flash in and out behind her and attacked it with a Freeze Arrow. Even though she didn't acknowledge it, Dinasa figured out I had done it." Lina shuddered remembering the withering stare the monarch had given her that day. "I'm positive the only reason why I survived was because I'm related to the Knight of Ceiphied."

Zelgadiss hissed out a quick breath of air. "How?"

"The Knight's my sister, Luna," Lina explained. "Dinasa wouldn't risk pissing off my sister, or Ceiphied herself, by killing me - especially since I was just a child. But now I've done enough to where she possibly sees justifying getting rid of me without causing major backlash on herself."

"Or, if your theory is correct, based on what we saw with Rezo, if she has a piece of Shabranigdu in her, it's controlling her to do this."

"Exactly." Lina leaned against the wall and sighed. "It's all just a theory, of course. I could be wrong."

"I doubt it." Zelgadiss crossed his arms over his chest. "You nailed it when it came to Rezo."

"Except I didn't realize that the piece of Ruby Eye was sealed in him," Lina acknowledged. "It's not something I can go around asking other people either. About the only person I can ask is Luna, but I have to get into the city first. If everything goes to plan, I'll be captured as soon as I set foot in the city."

Zelgadiss shook his head sharply, then blinked at Lina. "Wait a minute, you're going to let yourself be captured?"

"No." That came from Gourry, who stood across from her with his arms crossed across his chest. "I don't care if I have to tie you up and carry you back to Saillune."

"I'll help you," Zelgadiss told him before turning his focus back to Lina. "Lina, that is the most stupid thing that's ever come out of your mouth."

Lina crossed over to the window and jabbed her finger at a mountain rising in the distance. "That, gentlemen, is Zefiel City. It winds in a loop all the way up the front of the mountainside to the top, where it is flat. That is where the royal family lives, as well as the temple to Ceiphied. There is no physical way I can levitate or Raywing that high without the altitude overwhelming me. It takes a good day's travel just to get from the bottom to the top. I know some shortcuts, but even so, there is a good risk I will get caught before I make it."

"That's not the point," Gourry replied. "You've never let anything like that phase you."

Zelgadiss leaned back. "It's your family, isn't it?"

Lina hissed out a breath. "Zel..."

It suddenly became clear for Gourry, why Lina would pull such a risky move. He moved over to her and gripped her shoulders.

"I thought you were going to consider my feelings more on things like this," he commented.

"I do!" She defended, feeling somewhat trapped.

Zelgadiss stared at the two and decided that maybe now it was time to slip out. He eased out of the room and wiped the sweat from his brow. That was definitely a conversation he didn't need to be privy to.

"How do you think it makes me feel to see you waltz into the city and allow yourself to be kidnapped?" Gourry argued. "Aren't I part of your family too?"

His words struck Lina with the force of a physical slap, much the same way they had after the fight with Kanzael. Before she could even think of a response, he pulled her to him and hugged her as tight as he could.

_He's scared...for me_. The realization awed and humbled Lina and she returned the hug. "Nothing's going to happen to me, you know," she mummered against his chest. "I've got more lives than a cat."

Gourry didn't say anything, just simply held onto her. He couldn't afford to let something happen to her now, not before he'd gotten everything straight with her and with himself as well.

"Yeah, and you lost what, three of those now?" His hold tightened. "Promise me you'll find another way up there?"

If anyone else, even Zel, had been in there, Lina knew she would had fought the request with all of her might simply because her pride demanded it. But it was just the two of them and she felt the slight trembling of his hands as they held her.

"Okay, we'll find another way." She pulled back so she could stare into his eyes. "I promise, I won't get captured on purpose."

"And, if I have anything to say about it, you won't get captured accidentally either." Gourry relaxed and ruffled her hair.

"You go way overboard on the protector bit at times."

"I've got to earn my pension somehow."

Lina sniffed. "What makes you think your pension would be worth anything?"

"I suppose I'll just have to stick with you until you pay me one." Gourry grinned at her and reached for the doorknob.

"Hah! That'll be the day!"

oOoOo

**Reviewer Response:**

Hehehe, it wasn't hard to guess that Lina was going to be dressed like a boy, eh?

Lina Gabriev: That incident regarding the kiss was based off of real life experiences after talking to a few people. You'd be surprised at some of the humorous moments like that you'll find when falling in love.

There's really no side stories, per say. All of the stuff that happens with the Blast Sword, Dynast and the second piece of Shabrandigu that was resurrected happened in Slayers novels #9-15, which actually take place after NEXT. In the novel timeline, TRY never occurred. I'm merging the anime and novel timelines together for this story. About the only thing I could make a realistic side story of would be the party held for Lina's 20th birthday. Now, "Law of the Land" is the sequel to this story, and you'll notice there'll be some loose ends that will be tied up in that fic.

Tom the Mighty: Writing romance is hard! There's been a huge difference in the way I've written it from when I was younger and at my age now that I've experienced some. Good luck with your story as well!

Earth Star: Oooh, thank you! I'll have to track down a copy.

Death Boo: I have two older bothers...er brothers. I understand perfectly!

Alamandorious: I've read novels 1-4 and have read summaries of all 15 novels. I've also read some of the side stories, such as "The Things He Sees Beyond the Point of His Sword" and the one about Zelgadiss searching for his cure after NEXT. My Japanese isn't strong enough to get through the novels - I do okay with the manga.


	7. Take a Hint

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #15: Take a hint ; Scram!

oOoOo

Chapter Seven: "Take a Hint"

They ate supper in Lina's room at the inn. She realized that her father probably wouldn't be back that night and since both rooms had two beds each, she suggested to Zelgadiss that he remain with them for the night. He took her up on the offer, especially since the room was already paid for.

They reminisced for several hours about their travels and talked about Amelia and their other friends. Zelgadiss' travels had taken him back into the southern lands, where Filia was now raising a young Valgaav. Lina and Gourry filled Zelgadiss in more on their adventures. It sounded so similar to what they had told Raulf a week earlier that they tended to rush through it.

Close to midnight, Lina wished them both a good night and turned away from the door as they left the room. She stretched as she heard the door shut and removed her robes. She draped them over a chair and started to unbutton her shirt.

Okay, so there was a change in plans. She couldn't let herself get caught, or else Gourry would go ballistic and then she'd have to deal with him as well. The best thing to do would be to wear clothing that helped them blend into the dark and sneak into the city by night. But, the problem with that was the gates at the bottom of the first loop were normally closed. Scaling them, especially with Gourry in tow, would be a nightmare. She absently wondered if she could talk Zelgadiss into going into the city with them - at least to shoulder the burden of hauling Gourry over the gate.

She reached the last button and removed her blouse, leaving the yellow band she normally wore on the outside of her clothing wrapped around her breasts. Gourry was another issue that she would have to settle, hopefully after things were straightened out with Dinasa. But the way things were going, they would need to talk sometime before that final trip. Lina sighed and stared out the window. If her theory was right and Dinasa did have a piece of Shabranigdu in her trying to wake up, what could she do to beat her other than use the Giga Slave again? Would it even work with the Blast Sword?

She pulled the curtains closed and started to pull the yellow band over her head. She would talk it over with Zelgadiss in the morning. Maybe he would have an idea on how to approach it. Maybe the Blast Sword could handle a couple of Ra Tilts. That could come in handy. She pulled off the band just as she heard the familiar clink of metal on the other side of the room.

She froze, band in her hand. _Familiar clink of metal?_

Warily, Lina turned around just in time to see Gourry placing his breastplate and thigh guards against the wood valet. He glanced up and she suddenly realized that not only was he in the room when he wasn't suppose to be in there, but that she was naked from the waist up.

His gaze immediately fell on her breasts and his eyes grew large. "Wow...you have a chest after all!"

Lina clenched her hands into fists, barely able to contain her rage, and started chanting beneath her breath. "Darkness from twilight, crimson from blood that flows..."

"Wait, wait, Lina!" Gourry shot across the room and slammed his hand over her mouth. "I can explain!"

She bit him and he jerked his hand back with a hiss. So, he settled for grabbing her arms. He glanced at her and couldn't decide which to focus on - her breasts, which he had an even better view of right now, or the anger blazing from her eyes. He knew that if she had the will to cast a Dragon Slave through expression alone, he and half of the town would be gone.

The safer bet, Gourry decided, would be to stare at her face. So he did and willed himself not to look beyond that. "I can explain! Really! I can!"

"Explain. Fast. Because as soon as you let me loose, I am going to tear you limb from limb," Lina growled.

"It's quite simple, really...I was planning on sleeping with you tonight."

The rage drained from Lina and was replaced by shock. She gawked at him. "You want to _what_?"

"You know, sleep with you." Gourry frowned and scratched his head. "I don't really feel comfortable with leaving you alone right now and I'll feel better if I'm close to you."

"You mean...sleep in me as in me in one bed and you in the other?"

"Yeah." He looked slightly confused for a moment, then mischievous gleam appeared in his eyes. "Why, do you want me to _sleep_ with you?"

_Yes! No! Maybe! I don't know!_ Lina shook her head to clear her thoughts and noticed that Gourry's hold on her had relaxed. So she took the time to stomp on his foot and give him an upper right-cut that sent him sprawling onto the bed that he said he wanted to occupy. She turned away from him and grabbed her pajama top, pulling it on as quickly as possible. She snatched up the bottoms and went behind the privacy screen to finish changing.

"You could had at least said something before now," Lina grumbled.

"I wasn't paying attention." She heard the rustle of clothing as he changed on the other side. "I thought you would had noticed before now, but you looked to be thinking and I didn't want to interrupt you."

So, instead, he managed to get a good look at...Lina glanced down at her chest and noticed that it did seem slightly bigger since she wasn't constraining it. He'd seemed sufficiently impressed - although this was the same man who insisted that a plate had more height than her chest. With a huff, she breezed out from behind the screen and over to her bed.

She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. "Did you think the boogyman was going to get me or something?"

Gourry, lying in his bed, folded his arms behind his head. "Well...something told me I needed to be with you tonight. Whenever I get that feeling, usually something targets you within the next 12 hours."

_Oh, fantastic._ Lina sighed, but couldn't help but feel a sliver of anticipation. She'd been itching for a good fight for awhile, and it was part of the reason why she wanted to let herself be kidnapped. She'd restrained her temper for longer than she wanted to, mostly for her father's sake. If she'd had her way, and if Mother Nature had been with her, those stupid guards at the Zefielia border would had been blown into the Kataart Mountains.

"In the morning, we need to make a plan with Zel," she said. "I'm hoping he'll help us out."

"He will."

She glanced over at Gourry. "Come again?"

"I asked him when you were in the washroom. He said he'd help us."

She sat up, her eyes flashing at him. "What the hell do you think you were doing?"

He followed suit, his own gaze serious. "I'm not going to risk you walking into a trap. Having Zel with us will even the odds a bit more."

"I'm not arguing about that! I'm arguing about you doing this stuff!" Lina got to her knees and pointed at him. "What's gotten into you, today, Gourry? Skulking around, acting all possessive, doing stuff behind my back?"

"You've done stuff behind my back before!"

"That was different!"

"How so?"

They were shouting, but neither of them cared at the moment. Lina got up and marched over to his bed, hands clenched into fists. What surprised her was the flash of temper in Gourry's eyes. He was normally laid-back except on the battlefield. _What's gotten into him?_

She turned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, I did that sort of stuff because I didn't want people to get hurt."

"And I'm doing this because I don't want to see _you _get hurt."

She bit her lip and considered her reply. "We've gotten into worse scrapes than this. We've come through okay. Don't you trust me to get us through this?"

Gourry noticed his hands were fisting the covers and he relaxed his hold and smiled. "Of course I do. I'm sure going up against a queen wouldn't be hard after the past few years."

Feeling calmer, Lina walked back to his bed and sat down at the foot. Vaguely, she recalled them being in opposite positions a couple weeks earlier. She glanced into her lap and wondered how to handle this. She laced her fingers together. "Hey, is something bothering you? I mean...you'd tell me, right? If something was?"

He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Part of him had always been concerned about her, but not to the nervous extent that he felt now. It seemed like he wasn't doing enough and he had to protect her as much as he could from whatever was out there. They had been in so many desperate situations. Gourry was realistic to know that one day, one of them wasn't going to walk away from one of them. But, he wouldn't stop them either - because that would be forcing Lina to change who she was, and it wasn't fair to her or himself. But, maybe he could get her to think a little more clearly.

Lina suddenly felt a pair of strong arms envelope her and draw her back. Before she could completely analyze what was going on, she was on Gourry's lap, her head resting against his chest. She stiffened, not used to the close contact and tried to figure out what was going on. Okay, she thought, he was upset for some reason. He seemed to be worried. She would discover the root of his problem, then bash him for taking such liberties.

But he didn't say anything. He simply held her. As the minutes slipped by, she found herself relaxing in his hold. The tension drained from him as well and she grew comfortable. It felt right to be quiet and enjoy the silence. Beneath her ear, she could hear the steady beat of his heart and recalled how that seemed to calm her in battle at times, when he would push her out of the way to protect her.

She had nearly drifted to sleep when he said her name.

"Hmm...yes, Gourry?"

His hand ran through her hair. "Why don't we get married?"

Her eyes snapped open and she didn't say anything for about a minute. Then, she pushed away, gaping at him. She didn't even bother to hide the blush that turned her entire face as red as her eyes. "You...you want to _what_?"

"I've been thinking about it for awhile," he replied, looking past her at the wall, appearing to be talking more to himself than to her.. "I mean...I think it's time."

She shook her head. "Gourry, you're not making any sense at all." Actually, Lina thought, this entire situation wasn't making sense. The past few weeks, ever since they shared that little makeshift shelter in the woods, hadn't made sense. Great gods, this was turning into a romance novel. She _hated_ romance novels...

An odd mixture of nervousness and dread twisted in her gut. She stared down at her hands and wondered how to respond. Oh, this was annoying! If this was some random guy, the answer would be easy. Blah, blah, don't take advantage of my maidenly innocence, blah, blah, Fireball. But this wasn't just any man. This was Gourry. And he was actually saying the one thing she was hoping to eventually hear from him.

She pinned him with a serious gaze. "You're not saying this because you're in overprotective Mama Bear mode are you?"

"Huh?" Gourry rewarded her with a blank look.

Lina wondered if he had completely lost his mind. "So, out of the blue, when we're getting ready to travel into my hometown and confront the queen of my kingdom, who happens to be wanting my pretty little head, you suddenly decide that it's time for us to get married?"

"Well, there's no time like the present!" Gourry grinned at her.

She shook him slightly. "You're nuts! You're absolutely insane! And I'm questioning my own sanity because I'm agreeing to your proposal!"

His eyes lit up and she swore he looked like a child with a present. "You will?"

She sighed and cupped her head in her hand. "You're such a jellyfish. Of course I'll marry you. What makes you think that I...gah!" Her sentence cut off as he suddenly hauled her against him and hugged her tightly that she heard her back crack slightly.

"Can't...breathe...Gourry!" Lina wheezed.

He didn't listen and held her tighter.

So she threw him across the room into the wall. He slumped to the ground, leaving a Gourry-sized impression in the wall while Lina sprawled on the bed and sucked in several lungfuls of air.

A moment later, a knock sounded from the other side. "Could you please keep your kinky sex games down? I'm trying to get some sleep!"

Lina jumped to her feet, a fireball already forming in her hands. "Zel, I am going to fry your ass for that!"

Gourry stirred. "Kinky sketch games? I wanna play tiddlywinks." Then he passed out.

Lina sighed and allowed the spell to dissipate. She would simply have to get her revenge on Zelgadiss in the morning. She went over to heal Gourry and haul him into one of the beds.

oOoOo

**Reviewer Response:**

Lina Gabriev: I didn't want to have a complete rehash of the very first season of Slayers. We got to see Lina and Gourry be chased by a bunch of glorified bounty hunters, and this puts less pressure on them. Yes, Zel is remaining in the story. He wasn't in the original outline for the story, but landed in the middle of the library scene. His latest quest for a cure is more of the focus of "Law of the Land," but for now, he will be assisting Lina and Gourry.

What would happen if a boy was born? The throne, being a matriarchy, would skip over him to the first female-born child - though there are some in Zefielia who believe a similar situation to what happened in Femille occurred at some point as well. As for the Dinasa theory...that should be coming up relatively soon.


	8. Of Princesses and Mazoku

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while. 

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #35: Forget-me-not ; memory ; photo and theme #34: Pins and Needles ; Headache

oOoOo

Chapter Eight: "Of Princesses and Mazoku"

Zelgadiss stretched out on one of the beds and stared at the ceiling. He winced when he heard the shouts coming from the room next door and somehow figured that Gourry managed to shove his foot down his throat again. He prayed that the end result wouldn't be the swordsman coming through the wall. That would mean utter chaos, them getting thrown out the inn and probably chased by riotous townspeople to boot.

Such was the price one paid when they chose to travel with Lina Inverse.

The shouts quieted down and he breathed a sigh of relief. It was a strange situation and one that Zelgadiss wasn't quite sure about himself. He had heard about the bounty when he entered Zefielia and, like Lina, had been marveled by the obtuseness of it. Frankly, there was a lot of legitimate reasons that Lina could be wanted - the most glaring being when she destroyed all of the expedition ships to the southern lands with her Dragon Slave.

He sat up and stared at his pack, sitting on the table on the other side of the room. He got up, walked over and reached inside of it, drawing out a pink bracelet with a round jewel attached to it. Amelia's ward bracelet. He toyed with it as he crossed back to his bed and sat down. She'd given it to him after their fight with Darkstar, after he set out once more to find his cure - sort of a reminder for him not to forget her. Since then, she contacted him somewhat regularly with it, but he hadn't done so in return.

_A first time for everything..._ Zelgadiss began to chant the Vision spell.

oOoOo

Amelia wil Tesla Saillune stretched out on the small divan she'd placed on the balcony outside her rooms. It was a pleasant night and she wasn't very sleepy. Coming outside and reading her favorite childhood fairytales usually helped her in getting tired. Filia had taught her the value of a good cup of tea as well, and a warm pot sat nearby on a small table.

She smiled up at the sky and watched the stars twinkle overhead. Then she lowered her gaze and saw Zelgadiss.

She gasped and gave a shriek of surprise, her book sailing over the balcony ledge. She grabbed the ledge and peered over, just in time to see the book smack a guard upside the head below.

"I'm sorry!" she called out, then turned back to the vision, automatically making sure her robe was securely fastened. "Zelgadiss-san! It's good to see you! Is something the matter?"

Zelgadiss chuckled at the disheveled princess. "In a sense. I've been distracted somewhat from my journey, but I do believe it's for an important cause. Tell me something, remember the expedition to the Southern Lands where Lina destroyed all the ships?"

Amelia nodded. "Yes, Daddy had a really hard time talking all the kingdoms out of prosecuting us. He convinced them it was for the sake of justice - that and at the time we didn't realize the golden dragon was in fact Filia-san. We thought we were in real danger."

"Was the kingdom of Zefielia part of the expedition?"

Amelia tapped her finger against her chin. "No, it wasn't. It was kind of odd, but relationships with that kingdom have gone sour somewhat in the past few years. They've closed themselves off from the neighboring countries - us and Elmekia."

"About how many years would you say?"

"Two, maybe three? I noticed that trade from them had sharply declined when we returned from fighting Hellmaster Fibrizo. Shortly thereafter, Daddy sent out an emissary to invite them to join the expedition and they weren't even allowed in the country. However, they weren't being aggressive toward other countries either and Daddy said it was best not to provoke them and start a war." She frowned at him. "What's going on, Zelgadiss-san?"

Zelgadiss relayed the information about the bounty to Amelia and Lina's subsequent theories about what was going on. "Gourry's asked me to stay with them for awhile, but I was planning to do that anyhow."

"If it is yet another piece of Shabranigdu, why are they waking up so fast?"

"Something tells me it's a Mazoku thing - either that or they're all somehow reaching maturity. But, we know that the pieces pass from person to person. It seems that in this case, it's all remained in the royal family. We don't know for sure, but..."

"In the position that the queen of Zefielia's in, she could easily be controlled by Shabranigdu and cause the country to go to war with others. Zelgadiss-san, there's a reason why no assassins or spies ever sent there get out alive. They produce the most ruthless sorcerers and soldiers that were within the Mazoku barrier. Why do you think Lina-san's the way she is?"

"That I think is just Lina being Lina. Someone's prepared a trap for Lina to walk into, and she's prepared to do so just to find out what's going on."

Amelia nodded gravely and started to pace the length of her balcony. After a minute, she whirled around, her gaze meeting Zelgadiss'.

He recognized the look in her eyes. "When will you be here?"

"I'm leaving now. I'm not tired and can travel a good bit of distance before I do. I'll be by myself, I can Raywing a good deal of the distance. Keep me up to date?"

Zelgadiss nodded. "I will. Be careful, Amelia."

She gave him a small smile. "You're the one I should be telling that to, Zelgadiss-san."

He chuckled. "Between the three of us, I think we'll handle things."

The spell dissipated and Amelia ran inside to get dressed and pack a bag. Then she rushed off to inform her father.

On his end, Zelgadiss placed the bracelet back in his pack. He glanced up as he heard more shouts, then banging against the wall. With a sigh, he crossed over to it to get Lina to quiet down.

oOoOo

Lina decided she had remarkable restraint. Her self-control was very admirable, if she did say so herself. After all, it was the only thing keeping her from blasting both Gourry and Zelgadiss into the next town as they discussed battle tactics over breakfast. She fumed. It was her hometown and she'd be damned if they took over this mission.

Furthermore, there was some unsettled business she had with Gourry regarding his proposal the night before. If they were indeed engaged now, and she was 98 percent positive they were, it would be unseemly to constantly kick his butt.

Both of her male companions decided to turn their attention to her. "You're not saying much, Lina," Zelgadiss commented.

"I don't think she got enough sleep. Look at the bags under her eyes," Gourry observed.

"You shouldn't be keeping her up so late, Gourry," Zelgadiss winked at him.

"Hmm?" He tapped his chin. "She does a good job of that on her own."

Lina groaned and tugged at her hair. Forget propriety and being engaged. They were so dead.

"Digger Bolt!"

The citizens of Mylenta paused in their daily activities as two men came hurling out of the inn via the roof.

"This is your fault, Gourry," Zelgadiss muttered right before they crashed into the ground. He considered himself fortunate to land on his back.

Gourry, however, landed on his head. "Ah, but she blamed both of us."

Lina brushed off her hands as she marched outside, glared at both of them and stalked off toward the library, pausing when she heard an infuriatingly familiar voice behind her.

"My, my, Lina-san! It's an unkindly thing indeed to suddenly blast your fiancé out of the room, isn't it?"

She whirled around and noticed a familiar figure perched on the edge of one of the rooftops just a few feet away from her, cup of tea in hand. He gave her a cheerful smile.

Lina growled and her hands clenched into fists. Her morning had just gone from bad to worse. "It figures. I've gotten no sleep, I've got a huge headache and now you're here, Xelloss," she muttered as she massaged her temples. She slanted a look at him with one eye. "Tell me, though...considering that the conversation last night between Gourry and myself was private, how do you know he proposed to me?"

Xelloss considered this for a moment. "Just last night? I was actually taking a wild stab at your relationship status. I actually figured that after our last encounter that the two of you would be married by now."

"My relationship status with Gourry isn't yours or anyone else's business!"

He ignored her. "A child created from you two would be extraordinarily powerful. The Mazoku would be greatly interested in your offspring. We just hope that he or she does not inherit the father's lack of coherent memory. Though, it would take a small army just to feed it..."

Her hands flexed and she started to chant the Ragna Blade spell.

Xelloss cocked an eyebrow. "Lina-san, aren't you going a bit overboard?"

"Xelloss, since when have I ever gone overboard?" she cooed at him, gathering the dark power in her hands. "Now, just hold still so I can slice you in two pieces."

"Ah, but you see, I'm not scheduled to die today. If I do that, Zelas-sama would be awfully displeased. So, I'll have to bow out." With a wink, he flashed out of existence.

Lina let out a short shriek of frusturation.

"Oh, by the way, Lina-san?" Xellos' disembodied voice came from behind her shoulder. "You might want to turn around."

"Huh?" She did so and saw caught sight of the group of six trolls that were wandering down the street toward her. She sighed and buried her head in her hands. "This is so not my day."

She faced the assembled group. "Yo ho! Looking for me?" She gave them a wink, blew them a kiss and took off. She raced back to the inn, past a recovered Zelgadiss to Gourry's side. Lina pulled on his arm until he managed to untangle himself and stand.

"I need your sword," she told him. "Draw it!"

"What?" Gourry stared at her blankly, but drew his sword as she asked.

"Just hold it out for me!" Lina cast Recovery into it a few times and watched, fascinated, as the blade grew sharper.

"Okay, now, have fun!" She slapped his back and gestured at the advancing trolls.

"Wa...wait, Lina!" Gourry stammered as Lina took to the air.

"I trust you'll take care of them, Gourry! I gave you the means to do so!"

He nearly shouted back at her, but then whirled around to parry a shot from a troll. He grunted and immediately feinted to his left before getting enough room to whirl around and slash through one with the Blast Sword.

The sword flared with a white light as it passed through the troll's body and cleaved it in two. Gourry backed away, ready to come at it again when it regenerated. But instead of doing so, it simply dissipated. He frowned, then figured it had to do something with the spell that Lina cast on it. Then he pivoted and attacked another troll.

Zelgadiss pulled out his own sword. "Astral Vine," he chanted, boosting the power of his sword as he joined Gourry in the melee.

Lina scanned the town looking for any signs of Mazoku or more trolls. Her eyes narrowed when she saw a hunched figure near the town square, seemingly unaffected by the chaos going on around him.

Bingo, she thought, and sailed down toward it, allowing her levitation spell to dissipate in the process.

"Elmekia Lance!" she yelled, launching the spear of magic toward the figure. She cursed as it immediately winked out of sight, taking cover on the astral plane. She landed on the ground and started searching once more. Her eyes darted around as she saw something flicker in her peripheral vision.

The hair on the back of her neck prickled and she whirled around. "Blam Blazer!"

The spell shot past the figure, and Lina immediately took to the air again. She wished that she had the capacity to cast Chaos Disintegrate, or any number of the spells that Filia could handle being a golden dragon. She landed on the same rooftop that Xelloss had called to her from earlier. Whoever was attacking her was a sneaky bastard, she thought.

"Lina!"

Gourry's shout snapped her back to reality and she whirled around to see the hunched figure - now a cloaked person - aiming at her with a spell prepped. She back up, her foot slipping off the roof.

"Raywing!" she yelled, shooting into the sky.

"Disfang!" The person released his own spell.

Lina swore, dodged and retaliated. "Lighting!"

"Dolph Strash!" The person launched a spear of magic at her.

"Shit!" Lina knew the spell. It called on the power of Deep Sea Dolphin to create a spear-like shockwave that moved at super sonic speed. As soon as the first word of the spell was uttered, she immediately evaded.

But it wasn't enough.

The spear slammed into her shoulder, causing her to lost control of her Raywing spell. She plummeted to the ground, barely hearing both Gourry and Zelgadiss yelling over the rush of wind in her ears. She stuck out her one usable hand, hoping to somehow break her fall.

"Diem Wing!" She yelled, knowing it was already too late.

Instead of crashing into the dirt, she landed in Zelgadiss' arms just as she heard another voice nearby start to chant a spell.

"Demona Crystal!"

Lina struggled to sit up and saw the spell arc through the air and freeze the Mazoku. Then she noticed Gourry on the roof, cleaving through it with the Blast Sword. Sensing that everyone was safe, she allowed herself to pass out.

oOoOo

**Reviewer response:**

**Earth Star:** Actually, it's not her dad that's going to give a good reaction. ;)

**Alamandorious:** Thank you! Having the 30 themes to work with is helping me get through the story pretty fast. As of this chapter, 16 out of the 30 themes have been completed. I'm currently working on a series of battles leading up to the climax of the tale and that will slow me down, because writing battles tends to do that for me.

**Ichiban Victory:** Now that the proposal is out, I can go ahead and post chapter two of Law of the Land. When Something More is complete, I'll amend chapter one to give a summary of the story leading up to now.

**Death Boo:** I got your e-mail, it's sitting at my home computer waiting for me to reply to it.

Thanks also to **Neo cristal Serenity**, **encyser**, **Quizer**, **OveractiveMind** and **chitoryu12**!


	9. Take it in Your Stride

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #18: Disheveled ; In the Rain ; Thunder and theme #20. Take it in your stride ; Walk.

The fic up to this point has been condensed some, with chapters three and four becoming one single chapter. Even though there was a chapter nine before now, this is new material. I have also added back in the censored scenes from chapter five and have bumped the rating back up to "M" due to that chapter and future chapters.

oOoOo

Chapter Nine: "Taking it in Your Stride"

_"Is she going to be okay?"_

_"That's a nasty hit she took in the shoulder."_

_"It amazes me that she survived that."_

_"She's actually lived through worse."_

Blinding pain was the first thing Lina felt as she started to return to her senses. She didn't open her eyes, but tried to distinguish the voices around her. The first one was Gourry and the last Zelgadiss. The second one was her father. The third was...

"Mama," she muttered.

"Hang on, Lina-chan, we've got a healer coming." She felt a hand run through her hair. "You're a very lucky girl."

Lina managed a weak smile and a V-sign before passing out again.

The next time she came to, she was alone. Her shoulder still throbbed, but it didn't hurt as much as it had. She tried to reach for it, to test how bad off it was. Someone had cast Recovery on it, but it had to be at least a second-rate healer. It would need to be treated again.

"Good morning, sunshine."

She turned her head and noticed she wasn't alone after all. A disheveled Gourry sat by her bedside and she realized from the wrinkled state of his clothes and the slight fuzz on his chin that he'd slept there. "How long has it been?"

"You were out for a day." He immediately rose from the chair and helped her to sit up.

She winced and reached for her shoulder. "Damn, it feels like someone took a hammer and smashed my shoulder - which is the equilvant of what that spell was."

He frowned. "What exactly was it?"

"Dolph Strash. It draws upon the power of Deep-Sea Dolphin and pretty much annihilates you instantly. In other words, a spell very easy for a Mazoku to use. If I hadn't moved when I did, I wouldn't be here." She gave him a smile. "Well, it came a little later than I thought, but it looks like we're under the gun now."

He didn't return the smile, but held out a glass of water. "Here, drink some."

"In order to drink water, I need to get rid of some. Step outside for a moment?" Lina threw back the covers and gingerly tested her ability to stand. When she was satisfied that she wouldn't crumple over, she shot Gourry a dark look. "Look, I refuse to do my business with an audience. Move it!"

He silently put the glass down and went outside. Lina rolled her eyes and headed behind the privacy screen. Okay, something had crawled up his butt again, she decided. Probably the fact that she'd left him to take on a bunch of trolls while she searched for the Mazoku.

She called out to him as she got back in bed and reached for the water. When he came back in, he bore a tray ladened with food. Her eyes sparkled and she drooled slightly at the feast. "Gourry, you're an angel! Give me! Give me!"

Now he smiled and set the tray down in front of her - before helping himself to half of it.

"Hey, what gives?"

"I'm hungry too! I haven't eaten since yesterday."

Lina paused in shoveling food in her mouth and studied him. He hadn't eaten since the day before? He'd been hovering over her this whole time? She stared blankly at the piece of bread in her hands, trying to comprehend that. It certainly wasn't the first battle she'd been injured in. She'd been nearly decapitated several times, then there was that whole mess with the Lord of Nightmares. He'd always been a worrier when it came to her but...

...then she noticed the entire tray was empty.

"Gourry! My food!"

"Looking away means you're done," Gourry informed her through a full mouth.

"No fair! Give me back my food!" She started to shake him.

"It's good to see you in high spirits, Lina."

She glanced over Gourry's shoulder and spotted Zelgadiss leaning against the door frame. "Zel!"

He gave her a small salute. "Your folks are downstairs."

"Folks?" Lina frowned. She remembered hearing her mother's voice, but..."Mama's here?"

"Yeah, she's really nice!" Gourry's smile finally reached his eyes.

"I want to see her." Lina threw the covers off again, darted past both men and out of the room.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and spotted a petite chestnut-haired woman staring down a man that she recognized as the owner of the inn they were staying in.

"You mean, you're out of sausages? You can not be out of sausages!"

"Ma'am, we sent the last of them up to your daughter's room and..."

"No ifs, ands, or buts! What type of business do you think you run here? You have to have an adequate amount of supply to meet the demand of your customers with some waste accounted for in the mix. And you say your supplier won't be here for another three days? That is unacceptable! I could generate more of a profit off this place in a day than you could in a year!"

Lina chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest as Gourry and Zelgadiss joined her and gaped at her mother.

"Well, we know where she gets it from," Zelgadiss muttered.

"She gets it from both of them," Gourry replied.

"Enough, you two," Lina growled.

The woman spotted the three of them lingering on the stairs and waved to them. "Yo ho!" Lina-chan!"

"Hey, Mama!" Lina waved back and crossed over to her.

"Now," Lina's mother turned her attention back to the innkeeper, "I want you to go down to the general store and order all of the chickens, sausage, whatever fruits and vegetables they have and bring them back here. I guarantee you a 200 percent profit increase in this day's sales alone. And make sure you reserve enough for us to eat on - which means you have to hit up the other general store as well. Now move it!"

"Ye...yes ma'am!" The innkeeper shot out the front door.

"And that is another Lana Inverse special," Lina explained to the men.

Zelgadiss blinked. "Lana?"

"Luna...Lina...Lana...," Gourry cocked his head to one side. "Well, it fits."

With business taken care of, Lana embraced her daughter. "You're almost as tall as me now."

"Yeah, I grew up some," Lina laughed.

"You used to be smaller? In height, in height!" Gourry quickly amended as both Inverse women slanted him dark looks.

"I used to be the size Amelia was when we fought Copy Rezo," Lina explained. "I grew up some."

"And out a little bit too." Lana leaned over and studied her chest. "You've gone up a size."

"I have!" Lina boasted proudly, straightening and sticking said chest out slightly.

"Really?" Gourry crept closer and studied Lina's chest as well. "You really can't tell at the moment..."

Zelgadiss shook his head as Lina proceeded to kick Gourry across the room.

"I'm back!" Raulf walked into the inn with a bag slung over his shoulder. He scanned the room before his gaze settled on his family. "Lana, have you taken over another business again?"

"I had to! You should had seen the pitiful amount of food he gave us to give to Lina-chan. I wouldn't even call that a snack!" Lana gestured to the great room. "Prime location, good real estate and it's not even pulling in half of its worth! Listen, I think we should invest in this place. We'd make a 300 percent profit in a year and sell it!"

Zelgadiss edged his way over to Lina. "I never thought I found find someone more scary than you."

Lina beamed with pride. "Isn't Mama great?"

"You sound like Amelia," he teased her. "Though, I had no idea your mother was a powerful sorceress as well."

Lina's gaze settled back on her mother, who seemed to be about halfway into cajoling her father into dipping into their savings. "She gave it up when we were kids. The guild wanted her to teach and she turned them down. She hates the politics of the Zefielia Sorcerer's Guild as much as I do."

"She saved your life, you know."

Lina nodded. "I heard her cast Demona Crystal, which gave Gourry enough time to take the Mazoku out. Apparently, I'm close enough now to where they don't want me entering the city. I'm growing even more convinced that I'm right."

"So am I." Zelgadiss started to mention that Amelia was on her way, but was interrupted by Gourry staggering back over to them and a small cry of triumph from Lana.

She faced the group and flashed them a V-sign. "Victory!"

"Papa never says no to you regarding money, Mama."

"He has a few times." Lana folded her arms over her chest and shot her husband a murderous look. "He wouldn't allow me to purchase the general store owned by that rat Houcher on the upper level..."

"It's a bad investment, dear," Raulf said, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"It's covering our backs!" Lana glanced at her daughter's friends, then rushed over to them. She grabbed Gourry's hands. "Say umm...oh, I was never formally introduced to your friends, Lina-chan."

"Mama, this is Zelgadiss Graywords. And the man you're currently sizing up is Gourry Gabriev, my uh...," Lina absently scratched the back of her head, wondering how to treat the issue of the proposal, "protector, you could say. For now."

Gourry grinned down at Lana. "I asked Lina to marry me last night."

The entire group fell silent. Lana stared at Lina, then up at Gourry, then back at Lina, then once more at Gourry. Raulf cleared his throat. Lina knew she would die from embarrassment.

With a shriek of delight, Lana embraced Gourry. "This is wonderful news! And you're absolutely perfect too!"

Lina blinked at her mother. "Perfect for what?"

"To run the store, of course! Look at that hair. Those eyes. That complexion." Lana pointed to each one of Gourry's features, then turned his head from side to side. "We'll have that dirty Houcher run into the ground by the end of next month! He'll draw in women from everywhere! What a marvelous investment you made, Lina-chan!"

Lina absently scratched the back of her head. "I...uh...suppose so."

Raulf clasped Lina's back. "Congratulations, Lina-chan. You made a fine choice. Your sister will approve as well."

Lina turned her attention to her father. "Where is Nee-chan?"

Raulf frowned. "She insisted on remaining in town. She didn't want to leave her dog, Spot, and is overseeing the store for us while we're here with you."

Lina frowned. "Spot?" That can't be it, she realized. They were good reasons to remain behind, but something else had to be going on. Either Luna couldn't leave the city, or she was refusing to for some reason. The hair prickled at the back of her neck. Something was happening that Luna didn't want to turn her back on.

"Lina!"

She noticed Gourry undergoing the fifth degree from her mother and immediately moved to intercept.

Zelgadiss watched the action with both amusement and slight jealously. He had no memory of his own family, and wasn't sure if they had simply died or if he'd been spirited away from them. All of his memories as a child consisted of Rezo. It amazed him, how warm the Inverses acted toward each other. It made him wonder why Lina had stayed away for so long, but then again, Amelia had done the same thing in her travels.

He cast a glance at Gourry and wasn't surprised that he was taking the attention with remarkable grace. _He'll fit in well..._

oOoOo

Amelia sensed the barrier before the Zefielia border was even in sight. It was so powerful that any third-rate magician would be able to feel it, she realized. Once it was in sight, she decided to see if it was worth penetrating. She levitated some distance away until the town was in the distance.

She approached the barrier and studied it. It reminded her somewhat of the one that used to surround their part of the world until Lina defeated Hellmaster Fibrizo. She frowned as she tested the strength. There was one way to know for sure.

She held out her hands and recited the Flow Break spell. She felt the magic leave her hands, then suddenly was tossed a few feet away by an answering recoil from the barrier.

Amelia pushed herself onto her elbows and shook her head, dazed as she stared at the barrier. Then she approached it once more and tried again. When the spell backfired a second time, she pulled out her bracelet and cast the Vision spell.

She found herself standing inside the dining room of a tavern and smiled at the image of Lina and Gourry chowing down on food. Zelgadiss occupied the third seat and another man and woman were also busily devouring what food was left. Amelia cocked an eyebrow as Lina and the woman began to fight over the last piece of meat.

"I'm a growing girl, I deserve that piece!"

"Lina-chan, I spent 36 hours in labor with you. I think I deserve it!"

"That was 20 years ago!"

"Should the gods be willing, you will understand one day."

Lina then turned on Gourry. "I swear, if you ever cause me to go through that much pain, I will Dragon Slave you."

"Right, right." Gourry ignored her and grabbed Lina's chicken.

"Hey! My chicken!"

Lina-chan? Labor? Amelia bit back a grin. "Excuse me, everyone?"

The fighting and devouring stopped as the five turned in her direction. Lina's eyes widened with surprise. "Amelia!"

"Forgive my interruption, everyone. I discovered some information that could pertain to your current situation. About how far are you from the Zefielia border?"

"We're in a small town right outside the city," Zelgadiss informed her. "Don't say anything now. How fast can you be here?"

"Walking, it's another two to three days," Lina said. "She could Raywing it in about a day."

"I'll go as fast as I can. Let me know if you move?"

"We will," Zelgadiss told her. He quickly released the spell on his end before anyone else noticed it.

Lina eyed Zelgadiss. "And just how long have you known Amelia was coming?"

He took a sip of his coffee. "Since the night before the our run-in with the Mazoku. You were a bit...occupied at the time."

"Zel!" Lina shrieked and to save face, shot a Fireball at him, which in turn earned her a reprimand from her mother. She never noticed Gourry relieving her of the rest of her dinner.

oOoOo

**Reviewer Response:**

Earth Star: We definitely have to have Amelia in the picture, ne?

lil lost sheep and Mistress DragonFlame: Actually, there will be Filia - just not in this story. She (along with Sylphiel) will enter the saga in "Law of the Land." I've actually got some of Filia's scenes written out and there's a very nice one with her, Jillas and Dragos that I'm looking forward to posting when it's time.

Ichiban Victory: This story is set six months before "Law of the Land," and sets in motion the quest they're all on. While at first the stories don't seem related, it turns out that they actually are.


	10. Stay with Me, Just for Awhile

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #19: Home body ; Bubbles ; Stay and #21: The Devil's Advocate ; advocatus diaboli

oOoOo

Chapter 10: "Stay With Me, Just For Awhile"

Amelia arrived a day and a half later. During that time, Lina did nothing but eat, sleep and plan their excursion into the city. She planned to move out as soon as the princess arrived. But Amelia got to the inn well after dark and was exhausted. It took both her pleading and a lecture from her mother before Lina gave in and decided to stay another night.

They rented a third room, dividing everyone up by two - the elder Inverses in one room, Lina and Amelia in the second and Gourry and Zelgadiss in the third.

By the time Amelia had fallen into an exhausted sleep, Lina could had drawn a detailed map of the city of Zefielia, complete with changes made since she'd last been home years earlier, in her sleep. She'd questioned both of her parents endlessly about new roads, new business and buildings. She studied layouts of the Temple of Ceiphied and plans of the Royal Palace.

She hardly touched the food that was brought to her and slept poorly. The nights prior to Amelia arriving, she'd prodded Gourry and Zelgadiss into taking the beds - mainly by making sure Zel was asleep before casting a sleeping spell on Gourry and levitating him to the other one. What little sleep she'd gotten was in the chair by the small table and that normally led to a lecture the next morning from both Gourry and Zel once the latter woke and used the Counter-Sleeping spell on the first.

She snapped at anything that moved and literally drove her friends, family and fiancé insane - even more so than she'd ever done before.

After she heard the first murmurs come from Amelia talking in her sleep, Lina bolted from the room to pace outside. She carried with her a spellbook on white magic, hoping to come through with a stronger form of a sleeping spell that she could use on Dinasa. An ordinary one worked fine on most people. If she did have a piece of Shabranigdu inside of her, it would be woefully ineffective.

Perhaps she could infuse it with some sort of spirit magic, she thought as she walked back and forth, a small ball of the lighting spell following her. A modified version of an Elmekia Lance so that both the physical and astral planes would be paralyized. Then she could study the queen and see if there was any way to draw the piece of Shabranigdu out of her.

And if not? Lina wasn't sure what she would do next.

But she was quite ready to kill her if she had to. Her hand absently rubbed the bag of orihalcon pebbles that Milgasia had given her awhile back. She no longer had her demon's blood tailsmen, but the properties of the orihalcon - the same as which shielded the Philosopher's Stone from Rezo - could also serve as a magical boost if needed. She had a bag of them and so did Gourry. She made a note to herself to ask him about them.

She turned and plowed into said swordsman in the process, knocking them both to the ground.

Lina was grateful that Gourry hadn't been wearing his armor - otherwise it would had been a truly painful experience. She levered herself onto her elbows and glared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for you," he wheezed, trying to get his breath back. "You're wearing a trench into the ground."

She sat up, noticed the depression from her constant pacing. She absently ran a hand through her hair. "I didn't notice."

"You haven't noticed much lately." Fully recovered, he decided it was best not to move with her still sitting on his lap. He gauged his chances of being punched, slapped, kicked or fireballed if he sat up and made Lina aware of her exact position. While memories eluded him, at times common sense didn't. So he stayed where he was.

"You need to stop thinking about it for awhile before you forget it," Gourry informed her. "Otherwise, you'll miss a detail because you thought about it too hard."

She adjusted herself and stared down at him. Such a beautiful face, she thought absently before shaking it aside. "Where did you learn something like that?"

"Sword instructor. More often than not, your first instincts are always the right ones. You want to notice all the details and be prepared, but if you concentrate too hard, you'll miss something."

Lina considered that. "It makes sense. It's like when we first met Xelloss. We were wondering so hard about who he could be that it didn't occur to us...well, except you...about what he actually was."

"I think sometimes you get so worried about what hasn't happened yet that you can't see what's in front of you right now."

She narrowed her eyes at him, then realized their current situation. "Like me sitting on top of you and my not having fireballed you yet, correct?"

He gave her a crooked grin. "Something like that, yes."

She tilted her head to one side and tapped her cheek. "Well, then, I might as well take advantage of the current situation and get some questions answered." With that, she inched her way forward so she straddled his waist. He shoved his tongue in his cheek and wondered if she really understood what she position she was putting herself in.

Then Gourry had nothing to worry about, because Lina started shaking his shoulders.

"You jellyfish! Why did you tell my parents we're engaged?"

"Because we are!" He bit his lower lip. "Aren't we? I swore I remember you saying yes."

"Of course I said yes! But, you could had at least warned me before embarrassing me like that! Gods, what if Papa had exploded? Or worse, Mama? Just be glad she considers you the next poster boy for the store. And then you have to meet Nee-chan." She buried her head in her hands and felt the headache coming on. "That is going to be an absolute disaster."

"Nothing's that bad, Lina!"

She peeked at him through her fingers. "You haven't met my sister yet."

He saw the worry in her eyes and the stress that etched lines around the corners of her eyes and mouth. It amazed him that even though she was seven years younger than he was, there were times that she appeared to have seen more than even a great elder would had seen in his lifetime. His heart ached for her and it was that ache that drove him to pull her down so the top of her head was tucked beneath his chin and her ear pressed against his heart.

He wanted to do something - anything - to help her. He was her protector, but he was feeling damn well useless at the moment. She'd promised not to take unnecessary risks, but even the necessary ones were dangerous. If providing her a small pocket of peace was all he could do at the moment, he'd give everything he had to accomplishing it.

She flushed, not quite sure what he was doing. "Gourry, what are you..."

"Let's stay like this, Lina. Just a little while, okay? You need it." I need it, he silently added.

Tentatively, she moved her arms so she returned the embrace. The stress drained out of her, leaving behind the simple, warm emotion that she long ago acknowledged as love. It felt strange, to actually be aware of it and enjoy it - not bury it away like a forbidden spell. They hadn't said the words, but they loved each other. They were going to get married. Yet, they still bickered, laughed, and fought over food.

It was going to work, she thought as she dropped off into sleep. That she was sure of.

From the window above them, another swordsman and sorceress watched the couple on the ground.

"I do believe they're sleep," Raulf observed.

"Well, the night's warm," Lana replied. "Isn't it scary how those two seem like us 25 years ago?"

"It's crossed my mind several times during the past few weeks." He slipped his arms around his wife's waist. "Though, I do think my memory is a bit better than young Gourry's."

She laughed. "Well, you had your smoking habit. Which, I do remind you, you got better about."

"That's because you fireballed me out of the house whenever I tried to light up," he grumbled.

"I'm only looking out for your health."

"Excuses, excuses." He squeezed her. "We did a good job with our girls, didn't we?"

"I believe so. We did receive a lot of flak for Lina leaving home when she was so young. But, I wasn't much older than her when I began traveling myself. Though, I do believe she'll be a bit harder to settle down than I was." She frowned. "She's been through so much. You can't tell on the surface, but sometimes when I look in her eyes, they seem so old. Both her and Luna's."

"Ceiphied has blessed both of our children, Lana."

She slipped from his embrace and started to pace the room herself. "I can accept that for Luna, but not Lina. Zelgadiss-san told me about how she learned Chaotic magic. I knew she had the Giga Slave, but the Ragna Blade and what happened with Hellmaster Fibrizo is completely different." She appraised her husband for a moment. She had a feeling that he didn't know everything and frankly, he didn't need to.

Lana clasped her hands behind her back and thought back over the magic that she'd learned and the whispers of a power much greater than either Ceiphied or Shabranigdu. "I wonder," she mused aloud, "if Lina is blessed by the Lord of Nightmares." Because any normal, mortal person would had been killed by the type of magic she's done, she thought.

It was something that her husband wouldn't understand - but Luna would. Lana made a note to be sure to get both of her daughters together and discuss this.

oOoOo

She woke up kissing him. She wasn't sure who started it or how long they'd been doing so, but she knew it was something that had started as a dream and carried over to reality as various layered sensations poked their way through the fog of sleep that surrounded both of them.

His hands had crept beneath her tunic and she marveled at the rough-smooth sensation of his callused fingers against her back. She whimpered, adjusted and helped him take the kiss deeper while he tugged her tunic up. She felt her yellow band get pushed up to just under her arms as his hand moved around and covered her right breast. She jerked, moaned and her legs immediately splayed apart so she cushioned the hardness that grown since the kissing began.

She wasn't sure what was going on, but she craved more of it - the way that the excitement of discovering a new spell or type of magic filled her. She suddenly sat back, her bottom sliding back over him to the point where he threw his head back and groaned. She reached for the hem of her tunic, ready to pull it off.

"I'm sorry! I do hate to interrupt you lovebirds, but I should remind you that it is dawn and you're making out in a trench in back of the Mylenta inn, where I am sure everyone heading to the necessary is having a lovely time watching you two put on a show."

The words were as effective as a bucket of ice water. Lina's eyes snapped fully open as she realized exactly where she was, what she was doing and who she was doing it with. She turned her head slowly to the second story windows, where she saw Zelgadiss standing at one of them, his head poked out to address them.

"You're dead," she vowed, the power gathering in her hands before she fully realized it. "You are so dead, Zelgadiss!"

"Lina!" Now fully awake himself, Gourry sat up and tried to wrap his arms around her before she could blow the inn up. "Stop, you'll blow everything up!"

She elbowed him in the gut and shot a spear of magic at the chimera. His eyes widened and he dodged, but it caught him on the shoulder. "What the...," he cried as he crashed to the ground, paralyzed.

"Zelgadiss-san?" Amelia rushed into the room and saw him sprawled on the ground near the window. She saw his eyes blink at her before he passed out.

She crouched by him and shook him. He's sleeping, she realized. "Counter-sleeping!" she called out, but the spell didn't work.

"What sort of spell is this?" she wondered aloud.

Lana hurried into the room, bundled into a robe. "I heard screaming. What's wrong with Zelgadiss-san?"

"I heard him shout and ran in here myself. He's got some strange spell cast on him. It's like a sleeping spell, but counter-sleeping won't work."

"He'll be okay in an hour or so," Lina commented as she stomped into the room.

Amelia sat back on her haunches and took in her friend's disheveled appearance and the dirt streaks in her hair. "Lina-san, what's wrong? It looks like you've been rolling in the dirt?"

Lina ignored her, pushing by her and grabbed the sleeping Zelgadiss. "When you awake, you and I have a date with a Digger Bolt," she growled at him. "If you ever interrupt me and Gourry doing it again, I will make your life so miserable and so painful that even Rezo's curse will seem like a gift from Ceiphied."

"What were you and Gourry-san doing, Lina-san?"

Lina gazed into Amelia's innocent eyes and had the grace to blush and look away. "Just having a private conversation, Amelia."

The princess narrowed her eyes. "Uh huh. I bet you two were making out."

"Amelia!"

"What, I'm not blind or dumb, Lina-san. I heard you two moaning even from our..." Amelia gulped and swallowed as Lina's eyes flashed with anger. "...umm...you know, I bet you I was dreaming! That's it! Just a dream! Well, umm...need to use the necessary! See you!" With that, she raced out of the room as fast as she could.

Lana sighed and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You might want to take a bath. I'm interested to see this spell you've decided to try on Zelgadiss-san once you're ready for the day."

Lina stood and gave her mother a proud smile. "It's a combination of Sleeping and Elmekia Lance. It brings down someone from both the physical and astral planes. I just thought of it last night."

"But didn't have a target until now. Okay, then. I'll leave you to get ready for the day. Oh, and sweetie?" Lana tossed her a mischievous grin. "There's a lot more comfortable places to make out than in a dirt trench. Let me know and I'll give you a few pointers." She winked, blew Lina a kiss and sauntered out of the room, leaving her youngest to gape behind her.

oOoOo

**Reviewer Response:**

Earth Star: Hehehe, I love Lina's mom too, even more so than her dad. Writing Luna is a bit harder, but I'm enjoying the way she's turning out as well. I figured she would be the hardest part of the story to write, but it hasn't been - it's this battle scene at the beginning of chapter 11 that is kicking my butt. I got enough of it out to get the part posted up to LiveJournal, but there will definitely be a revised version before I post it here.

Stara Maijka: I haven't been through labor - I've just heard the stories about my mom being in labor that long with my oldest brother. It makes me satisfied to be single at the moment. And yes, I love that scene where Gourry splits the coin and sells it. That was the inspiration for this one, and he's not done yet.


	11. A Slight Deviation from Set Plans

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #17. Garden Vista ; Elysium El Dorado ; Carnival, theme #22. Shadow ; Flame ; Footfall ; Ouch! and theme #26. Oxymoronic ; Ananias

oOoOo

Chapter 11: A Slight Deviation from Set Plans

"Someone knows about our arrival," Lina muttered as they approached the gates to Zefiel City.

The city itself was literally carved into one half of a mountainside - the opposite end featuring a several-thousand foot straight drop into the sea. The city itself was organized into tiers, the bottom tier dedicated to farmers and other peasants, the middle tier to the working class and the upper tier to the nobles. On the flat surface of the mountaintop was the Royal Palace of Zefielia and the Temple to Ceiphied - one of the few in their part of the world.

Great gates sheltered the city and were normally open. But they were firmly shut now, with several dozen soldiers positioned in front of them to block entry.

"What do we do now?" Amelia asked.

"It'll be a haul, but we blast through them. Mama, can you get Papa in?"

"No problem. We'll handle things from our end." Lana winked at her daughter and gave her a thumbs up sign.

"Okay. Here's the plan." Lina gathered the rest of the group together and issued instructions.

"I don't want to really hurt anyone more than we have to," she ordered. "It'll add more fuel to the fire and it'll really give Dinasa something to be ticked off at me about."

"You mean other than shooting a Freeze Arrow at her?"

"Gourry!" Lina smacked his arm.

Amelia and Zelgadiss both gaped at her. "You shot a Freeze Arrow at your own queen?" Zelgadiss asked, more than a little awed.

Amelia glared at her. "Lina-san, how could you?"

"I thought there was a Mazoku behind her! Sheesh! I was 10, okay? Now, let's move it." Lina growled and pushed herself ahead of the others.

The soldiers immediately rushed them and the four flanked them.

"They're being manipulated, Lina-san!" Amelia called out.

"Don't kill them then! Elmekia Lance!" Lina shot the spell out toward two of the soldiers. "We can't give Dinasa anymore fodder to use against us."

"Sleeping!" Amelia called, holding her arms up to ward off another wave.

"That's a temporary solution at best," Zelgadiss grunted. "It reminds me of fighting Fibrizo's minions in Sairaag." He beat off a few more soldiers with the flat of his sword. "This is getting stranger and stranger by the minute."

He had a point. Lina broke away from the others and surveyed the battle. While Zel was using the flat of his sword to fight the soldiers, Gourry was knocking them aside using his sheath. That made sense, she thought. The Blast Sword was so sharp that even using the flat part of the blade would cause a severed limb - and that was after Milgasia had put a spell on it to dull it some. Amelia largely used her white spells.

The hair on the back of Lina's neck began to crawl and she whirled around instinctively, saw the group of orcs heading for them. "Fireball! Gourry, fight those instead!"

"Right!" He knocked out one more soldier and drew his sword.

Amelia finished the last of the soldiers and joined Lina. "Once we finish off those, we can get into the city, right?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if there was stuff waiting for us along the way. The key thing is, will we get assistance from the folks in town as well. That's what my parents are trying to do at the moment."

"We could use your help, you know!" Zelgadiss called out.

"Right! Coming, Zelgadiss-san!" Amelia rushed to his side and Lina started to prepare a fireball. A hand suddenly fell on her shoulder and she jumped in surprise, the spell dissipating. She whirled around, faced Xelloss.

"Xelloss!"

"I'm sorry, Lina-san," Xelloss said apologetically, then snatched her arm. "But, you're going to have to step out of this battle." He waved a finger at her. "Don't worry! I'm sure your friends will handle things just fine from here."

"Xelloss!" Lina tried to jerk her arm out of his hold, then winced as his grip started to burn through her clothing. She reared back slightly in shock. Was this part of his true power? She realized she'd never had it turned on her like this before. Tears leaked out of her eyes due to the pain.

"Lina!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gourry rushing at them with the Blast Sword as they started to rise into the air. "No!" she screamed. "Don't attack him!"

"Gourry!" Zelgadiss beat off one of the orcs and raced toward him.

Acting on pure instinct, Gourry jumped into the air right as Xelloss and Lina passed over him. He fisted her cloak with one hand, the other still clinging to the sword. Right as he did that, all three winked out of existence.

Zelgadiss skidded to a stop, stared at the spot where the couple had stood and swore.

"Ra Tilt!" Amelia yelled out, dispatching the last of the orcs. She pivoted and noticed Zelgadiss standing alone, staring into empty space. She scanned the area, noticed that Lina and Gourry were missing. "Zelgadiss-san? Where's Lina-san and Gourry-san?"

His hands curled into fists and he growled. "Xelloss has them."

"What?"

Zelgadiss explained Xelloss' appearance, how he grabbed Lina and how Gourry had followed quickly.

"What do we do now, Zelgadiss-san?" Amelia bit her lip. "Where could they be?"

His gaze turned toward the upper reaches of Zefiel City, where the Royal Palace and Temple of Ceiphied sparkled above. "My guess is that they've gone to either the palace or to the Temple of Ceiphied. We need to get up there as fast as possible."

oOoOo

Xelloss had lived more than a thousand years. He considered himself not easily surprised. Really, one of the few surprises he'd received in his life was the fact that Gourry Gabriev wasn't the idiot that his friends sometimes considered to be. He found the swordsman rather fascinating and realized that a lot of his denseness was a bluff. It really was a smart move, he thought. It enabled him to get a lot of information that eluded others.

But it still surprised the Mazoku priest when he warped back into existence with him grasping Lina and Gourry hanging onto Lina's cloak.

The swordsman landed on the ground with a crash and Lina promptly kicked Xelloss, freeing his hold on her. "Idiot! What did you do that for?"

Xellos shrugged and rubbed at his wrist where she'd kicked him. "I'm sorry, Lina-san. I'm under orders to bring you here. Though, we seemed to have acquired an extra passenger along the way."

She whirled around, spotted Gourry getting to his feet. Astounded, but grateful, Lina faced Xelloss once more before taking in her surroundings.

The garden was absolutely beautiful, with latticework trellises laced with vines and other climbing flowering plants rising so high into the sky that she couldn't see the top of the trellis. Bushes overflowed with flowering plants and everything seemed to be in bloom, even though it was close to harvest time. It would give anyone a terrific hay fever, Lina thought. She recognized it, even though she hadn't seen it in person, had remembered the meticulous description of the place in the books that she'd read.

"We're in the garden of the Eternal Queen," she breathed. "And if you say 'Eternal Clean,' Gourry, I'm going to kick your ass."

"I wasn't going to say anything." Gourry edged his way over so he stood back to back with her, sword ready for the impending attack.

Xelloss sighed. "Gourry-san, you're not suppose to be here. My specific orders were to bring Lina-san up here alone."

"Who gave you your orders?" Lina asked.

He cocked an eyebrow. "That's a secret."

She rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I'm staying, so whoever gave you your orders will have to deal with it." Gourry added.

Xelloss shrugged. "Well, if you really want it that way. My orders were to bring Lina-san up here alone and if anyone else tried to come with her, I was to kill that person. Orders are orders, you know."

"Touch him and you're toast," Lina growled. "You want me up here, fine. He's part of the package." She relaxed slightly. "So, you've got one of two choices, Xelloss. You have my full cooperation by allowing Gourry to come us or we have it out here and now."

Slight annoyance flickered across the Mazoku's face before it smoothed out. "Lina-san, like I said, Gourry-san isn't part of the orders. My job, specifically, is to escort you. No one else."

Gourry's grip on the Blast Sword tightened. "Scared I'll actually save Lina from being killed, Xelloss?"

"I've got no problems fighting you here," Lina replied, reaching for the bag of Orihalcon pebbles that hung at her waist. She grabbed a few in her hands, pressing them tightly against her palm as she started chanting the Ragna Blade spell.

Xelloss cocked an eyebrow. "Ragna Blade using a magical boost? Granted, while those Orihalcon pebbles do give you somewhat of a boost, it won't be enough to fully control that spell."

Lina ignored him and kept chanting.

He sighed and shrugged. "I'm sorry, Lina-san. As I told your sister earlier, I'm not scheduled to die or be severely injured today. Zelas-sama would be most displeased." He reached out with his staff and tapped the newly formed Ragna Blade.

Lina had never seen anything like it before and was sure she wouldn't again. The spell literally exploded in her hands, washing them in waves of chaos energy that dissolved her gloves and seared her hands. With a shriek of pain, she dropped to her knees and doubled over, promptly losing what she consumed for breakfast.

"Lina!"

She coughed until her throat was clear enough to speak. "I'm fine, Gourry."

"No, you're not!" Before he could advance on the Mazoku, Xelloss spun around and slammed his staff into Gourry's wrist, then slid the tip underneath the hilt of the Blast Sword. It flew out of Gourry's hands, landed several feet away. He grunted in pain, swayed for a bit, but kept his footing.

A mixture of regret and something else reflected in Xelloss' eyes for a brief moment as he advanced on the swordsman he'd traveled with off and on for nearly three years. "I do apologize, Gourry-san. Government work is a pain, but I do have my orders to carry out. Though, if you stepped away now, no harm will come to you."

"I won't leave her." To prove his point, Gourry crouched next to Lina and hauled her into his arms.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lina started to wiggle her way free. "This is no time to play Mr. Hero! You're going to get us both killed."

He stared down at her, the intense look in his eyes causing her to still. "I'm not leaving," he said firmly.

Xelloss sighed and cast a glance at the sky, silently seeking guidance. Of course, Gourry would have to make things difficult. Sometimes, he just didn't understand Lina and her friends. Still, he knew his orders, and he could not disobey. Xelloss pointed his staff at Gourry, opened his mouth to chant a spell and found the super-sharp blade of the sword he'd helped discover pressed against his neck. He swallowed, felt his Adam's apple rub along the edge, his neck slowly opening.

"Hello, Xelloss! Remember me?" Luna asked in a sing-song tone, her grip on the Blast Sword rock steady.

"Lu...Luna!" Lina pushed herself out of Gourry's grip, staggered as she got to her feet and nearly doubled over once more from the pain shooting her through her hands.

"You! Gourry! Get her out of here," Luna ordered, her focus remaining on Xelloss. "Move!"

"Right!" He scooped Lina into his arms again and searched for an exit. "What is this?"

"A garden maze," she replied, remembering the rough sketches of it that she'd studied. "It was built in the...crap, my mind's too clouded to think."

Luna heard the voices behind her, quickly tuned them out as she focused on the sword she held. It was an unusual sword, one that she had heard rumors about in the past, but thought it was a legend. Then again, her baby sister had a habit of uncovering items once thought of as legends - such as the Sword of Light itself and the man who wielded it.

She could feel the magic thrumming in the blade and wondered what it was charged it. Nothing like a Dragon Slave, probably a few Fireballs. But she didn't need magic to stop a Mazoku.

"Remember the little speech you gave to me earlier, Xelloss-chan?" she asked sweetly, enjoyed the beads of sweat forming on the Mazoku's forehead. "You said that we were equals, that we cancel each other out. Well, I regret to inform you that your statement is somewhat of an oxymoron. You are two degrees removed from Ruby Eye. I am one degree removed from Ceiphied herself. Want to test and see which one is more powerful?"

Xelloss managed a smile. "It seems that you have thought this out, Luna-san."

"Trust me, I had plenty of time to consider it, chasing you all over this city." Luna pressed a bit harder. "Though, I am curious to know whether or not this sword will harm your Astral body."

"Not as much as Lina-san's Ragna Blade would."

"Hence why you disintegrated it."

"You're being very clever today, Luna-san."

Her eyes narrowed into slits and she gave Xelloss a cold smile normally reserved for scaring her sister and intimdating customers. "No, Xelloss. I'm always clever."

oOoOo

Lina grunted with pain as Gourry dashed from one corner of the garden to the other, searching for a clear exit. Her mind whirled. Xelloss could negate her Ragna Blade? She was officially screwed then, though she knew that the possibility existed that they would truly do battle one day.

"Stop a moment, Gourry," she said, elbowing him to get the point across. When he did, she wiggled so she slid to the ground. She staggered, but stood. Lina held out her hands and cast the Recovery spell. Pain shot through them, as fast and hot as lightning. With a scream, she tumbled backwards, Gourry catching her before she hit the ground.

"Damn it!" Lina glared at her useless hands. "Whatever Xelloss did to them, I can't use my hands. We need to find Amelia. She can heal them."

"We're stuck for now. Your sister has my sword and you can't use your magic."

They turned their attention back to the battlefield, where Luna remained with Gourry's sword pressed against Xelloss' neck. Suddenly, Xelloss spun out and Luna feinted, their weapons clashing. They backed away, started to move in an elegant duel that seemed more staged than real.

"They're evenly matched," Gourry said after a moment of assessing them. "If one of them slowed even by a second, the battle would be over."

"You've got it!" Lina wiggled her way out of his embrace once more. "Gourry, grab the knife in my boot. The right one."

He felt for it, grabbed the small handle. He pulled it out and displayed it for her. "What do you want me to do with it?"

"Hold onto it for a moment. Can I borrow your right glove?"

"You can't hold anything," Gourry protested, but stripped it off all the same.

This is really going to hurt like hell, Lina thought as she held her hand out to him, motioning for him to put it on. She bit her lip hard as pain shot through her hand. But the glove was so large on her that he was able to keep it lifted away from the skin for most of it.

When the leather settled, Lina turned to face the battle. She had one chance to do this. Her eyes followed Luna and Xelloss around the garden. "Hold the knife toward me, handle out."

Gourry did as asked and the two waited. Their eyes followed Luna and Xelloss as they continued their battle across the gardens.

Then Lina saw her chance.

"Now!" she cried, yanking the blade from Gourry and tossing it toward Xelloss. "Shadow Snap!" she yelled seconds before hitting the ground, screaming in pain.

Luna and Xelloss both snapped their heads around right as the knife stabbed into Xelloss' shadow. He swore, tried to spin around and realized he couldn't move.

Luna swung the Blast Sword up to Xelloss' neck once more, panting with exertion. "It's over, Xelloss."

He knelt, about the only thing that Lina's Shadow Snap would allow him to do. "It seems, Luna-san, that you've got the advantage. Though, I do think you used an unfair means for your gain."

"I never asked my sister to cast that spell," Luna replied through gritted teeth. "Though after your little magic trick, I'm surprised she could even stand."

Lina found herself in Gourry's arms once more and absently wondered how many times she'd landed there within the past half hour. She felt his arms tighten around her and it felt so good not to have to rely on her own willpower to stand, even though it was also a bit mortifying considering that her sister and Xelloss were just feet away. But she wasn't quite sure her legs could support her again.

"Well, it's your choice, Lina." Luna's gaze flickered over to them. "Does he live or does he die? You get the credit for this one."

Lina closed her eyes, replayed the battle in her mind and the one leading up to it. She glanced up at Gourry, not seeking his permission, but reassurance. He nodded, taking a pretty good stab at what she was thinking.

"No, don't kill him. If he'd been truly planning to kill me outright, he would had done so when he orchestrated the attack on Mylenta. Isn't that right, Xelloss?" Her gaze shifted to the Mazoku.

He gave a half-hearted shrug. "I was hoping that you would take the hint, Lina-san."

"Your orders were to bring me here, not to kill me, right?"

"It was for you to come here alone, yes, Lina-san. I wasn't under orders to kill you." He lifted an eyebrow and smirked at her and Gourry. "I was, however, under orders to kill anyone that you brought here with you."

"Well, you must understand that if anyone attacks my fiancé that it's only logical to retaliate."

"That it is indeed, Lina-san."

Lina saw the darkness at the edges of her vision and knew she was dangerously close to passing out. "Well, considering that my sister followed us up here, she technically did not come with me. That leaves us with the issue of Gourry here. So, let's make a trade. My sister doesn't whack your head off and Gourry stays."

"That, Lina-san, sounds like a fair deal to me," Xelloss responded. With the Blast Sword out of Gourry's hands, the swordsman couldn't do much harm, he figured. Be as it may, the weapon was currently in more dangerous hands than the ones it just left. As for Zelas...he gave a mental sigh. He'd have some explaining to do.

"Okay then. Sis, you can pull the knife out. Gourry, wake me up in a week." And with that, Lina passed out.

oOoOo

**Reviewer Response:**

Mistress DragonFlame: Congratulations on the new little niece! I've got two nieces and two nephews myself and all four are absolutely adorable. I miss them very very much.

Alamandorious: Lina, to me, strikes as one of those people who would greatly enjoy a physical relationship once she gets used to the idea of it. She tends to throw herself into everything, and this would be no exception. But it's still not going to be an easy road for her because she has a lot of roadblocks internally to get through.

kimonoprincess: "Law of the Land," which is also currently ongoing, is largely Amelia and Zel's story, though there is a good dosage of Lina/Gourry as well. That fic and the third fic, "In Darkness, Find Me," will be split pretty evenly among the two main couples.

Ai-chan: Thank you from both accounts! I also just got your other review for "Law of the Land." Good luck with finishing school. Sometimes I wish I was still there. My writing did go down a lot as I made the adjustment from school life to working life, so I understand where you're coming from completely. You've got several interesting ideas, and I think you have the ability to make them work. What helped me a lot was to find a writer whose writing I admired and discovered what made it tick. A big influence on me is J.D. Robb, the mystery pen name for Nora Roberts. Her "In Death" series is just absolutely wonderful and it's rubbed off in the writing.


	12. Orders to Assassinate Lina

**Disclaimer:** "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note:** This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #24. The puppet master ; strings ; control freak, theme #25. Maillot ; paradox and theme #30. Aesthesiogen

oOoOo

Chapter 12: Orders to Assassinate Lina

When she came to, Lina found herself stretched out on a bench with her head being cushioned in someone's lap. She quickly figured it was Gourry's, because the lap definitely belonged to a male. If it had been Xelloss, she'd kill him instantly, no matter what the condition of her hands.

"How long was I out?" she muttered.

"Good morning, sunshine. About 20 minutes."

"Only that long?" she whined.

"Yeah," Gourry replied casually, absently running a hand through her hair. She blinked. His focus, she noticed, wasn't on her, but on something across from them. "We have a visitor."

She turned her head, wincing at the pressure suddenly dropped on her forehead. She was going to get Xelloss for this when she got over this, Lina silently vowed. Just when he least expected it.

The she spotted her.

"The Eternal Queen," she whispered.

Dinasa was much like Lina remembered her from her childhood. She wore a ball gown that appeared to be otherworldly, but suited her perfectly. A high, starched collar of lace created a fan effect at the back of her neck and her blonde-grey curls were pulled back into a twist. She appeared both young and old at the same time, and she had incredible power. She carried an elaborate staff that reminded her a bit of Rezo's.

Lina scrutinized her further, tried to see behind the heavily made-up face. Was there really a Mazoku lurking in there? She scanned the area and noticed her sister on one knee before her. Xelloss stood beside her, his head inclined. Lina frowned. If Shabranigdu really was in there, wouldn't Xelloss have bowed as well? No, she decided. That would had been the fasted way to give himself away. She sat up and ignored the way the world began to spin around her.

"Forgive me for not bowing to you, Dinasa-sama," she called out. "I'm a bit incapacitated at the moment."

Dinasa advanced a few feet, her gaze flickering between the two sisters. "Luna and Lina Inverse," she muttered. "It's been years since both of you graced my presence at the same time," she said a bit louder. "It seems that not only have you done so at the present time, but provided me a small game to enjoy as well."

_She watched us?_ Lina's eyes shot over to Luna's, but her sister kept her attention focused on Dinasa. An uneasy feeling crawled up Lina's back and she was grateful to have both her sister and Gourry there in her corner. Her hands tingled with pain and she prayed that Zelgadiss and Amelia figured out where they were. It would still take them some time to get to the top of the city.

"Thank you for carrying out your assigned orders, Xelloss," Dinasa told him. "I will tell Zelas-sama about the change in plans. You will not be at fault for this little incident."

Xelloss chuckled. "It is okay, Dinasa-sama. I'm used to dealing with such from Lina-san and her friends by now. They never cease to amaze me."

Amused, Dinasa gave him a small smile. "No, I suppose they never do." Her focus switched to Luna. "As your queen, I do order you to leave this area now. My issue is with your sister, not with you."

Luna got to her feet, Gourry's sword still in hand. "Majesty, I'm sorry, I refuse this order. I answer to Ceiphied and in this case, I am here as the god's knight. Therefore, it take precedence, even over you."

Lina saw a slight sneer before Dinasa managed to school it. The queen's body vibrated for a moment before inclining her head to Luna and making her way over to Lina and Gourry. Someone's controlling her, Lina realized. She really is nothing more than a puppet and her association with Xelloss only adds to the mix.

Dinasa paused in front of the bench. Ignoring the pain, Lina drew herself up as straight as possible.

The queen turned her attention to Gourry. "You are from another kingdom."

"Yes, Elmekia," he replied.

"They say you stole your family's heirloom sword and ran away from home. Technically, you're a fugitive." She lifted an eyebrow. "By all rights, I should have you arrested and turned back over to your family."

Lina noticed Gourry stiffen, saw the flicker of shock in his eyes. "Leave him out of this," she ordered. "Your issue's with me, not him."

"Yes. Yes it is, isn't it?" Dinasa's lips curled back into a sly smile. "You're a bright child."

Lina snorted. "I'm 20. I'm hardly a kid."

Dinasa titled her head to one side. "No, I suppose you're not. Though the last time I saw you was...10 years ago, am I not correct?"

"The Freeze Arrow." Lina's eyes widened. "There really was a Mazoku behind you!"

"You're very perceptive. Too perceptive." Dinasa stepped away from them. "You see, Lina-san, about five years ago, you started to engage in some very disturbing activities."

"When I killed Rezo the Red Priest, and the piece of Shabranigdu along with it, right?"

"You are correct. Since then, the list you've drawn up has been impressive." She ticked them off on her fingers. "Demon Dragon Lord Gaav. Hellmaster Fibrizo. Darkstar. You managed to have Dynast scurrying back to the Astral plane to lick his wounds. And, of course, your defeat of a second piece of Shabranigdu about a year ago."

"Damn, she really has done a lot," Luna mummered, slightly impressed.

"I give you everyone but Gaav," Lina replied. "Fibrizo killed him, not me.

Dinasa chuckled. "Okay, I will amend the list. But in any case, the balance has tipped a little bit."

Lina chuckled herself. "What, the ready supply of Mazoku is getting a bit too low for comfort?"

"Well, you have been quite busy the past few years, Lina-san," Xelloss supplied. Lina rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"In any case, after some consultation, I have decided that it's time to put an end to this. Unfortunately, that results in your death," Dinasa advanced on Lina and Gourry once more.

"Why? Because you're afraid that I'll discover that you have a piece of Shabranigdu inside of you, Dinasa-sama? Too late. I figured it out a couple of weeks ago." Lina watched, fascinated, as the color of Dinasa's eyes flickered between silver and red and back to their normal color again. _Bull's eye._

Luna immediately lifted the Blast Sword. Xelloss approached her, leaned toward her ear. "Now, now, Luna-san, you can't murder your queen. Remember, it took Lina-san an enormous amount of power to kill off the first two pieces."

"I'm the Knight of Ceiphied. In my sister's words, bite me, Xelloss."

He lifted an eyebrow. "What do you think would happen though if you killed your queen? You wouldn't have killed Shabranigdu, you know this. The power would just pass on down to her heir, not to mention that the country would probably be plunged into anarchy."

"My sister or my kingdom." Luna's grip tightened on the sword.

"Your sister or the world. Consider the consequences."

"My job is to keep peace in Ceiphied's name and to stop Shabranigdu with all I have."

"Oh?" Xelloss cocked his head. "If that's the case, how come it was Lina-san who defeated the first two pieces and not you?"

Luna slammed Xelloss over the head with the flat of the sword, leaving a somewhat deep cut. "Shut up, nagagomi."

"Ah, talking to Filia-san again, haven't you?" Xelloss rubbed at the injury and wondered how long it would take for it to heal.

"Be quiet."

Still, he had a point, Luna realized. Along with the spells she sensed imbedded into the Blast Sword, she also detected some sort of sealing spell. Lina's letters regarding the sword had talked about how a seal had to be put on it in order for Gourry to be able to even sheath the blade. If she couldn't kill both Dinasa and the piece of Shabranigdu in one blow, the consequences to Zefielia would be grave.

Lina felt the situation turn weirder and weirder by the minute. It felt like they were sitting around having some sort of tea party, not discussing the fate of the world. She gauged her chance of getting past Dinasa and determined that they were slim. Her gaze shot over to her sister and their eyes met. She mouthed two words to her. Luna nodded. Lina turned her attention back to Dinasa and started focus everything she had into an Elmekia Lance.

Dinasa lifted her staff.

"Damu Brass!"

The spell shot through the wall behind Dinasa. Zelgadiss and Amelia charged through the rubble into the garden.

"Run!" Luna ordered them and Gourry shot off the bench, snatching Lina up at the same time. He pushed past Dinasa and dodged a beam of energy that she shot from her staff.

"Elmekia Lance!" Amelia called out, shooting the attack at Dinasa. She deflected it with the staff.

"You! Zelgadiss!" Luna pointed at Zel. "Distract her as long as possible. Amelia-sama, with us. Lina's hurt."

"Right!" Amelia fell back and followed Gourry as Zelgadiss prepared his next attack.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lina yelled at Gourry.

"You're hurt!"

"My hands are hurt, not my legs!"

"Shut up!" Luna yelled back to them and Lina shrank slightly into Gourry's chest.

Luna, Gourry and Amelia raced through the palace and saw guards rushing for them. "This way," Luna ordered, pointing down a hallway.

They ran until they reached a door, then were outside once more. The Temple to Ceiphied loomed before them. With the guards on their heels, they made it to the entrance of the temple. Amelia whirled around and cast Sleeping on the group and the remaining four headed inside.

At the base of the statue to Ceiphied, Luna motioned to Gourry and he knelt down. "It's her hands," he told Amelia.

"Lina-san, what happened?" Amelia asked.

"Just heal them, I'll tell you later."

Amelia started the Recovery spell and Luna began to pace. After a minute or so, she stopped and faced them. "There is one thing we can do to stop her for now without killing her." Luna turned back to them. "Lina, do you have any sort of magical boost?"

Amelia finished the spell and Lina flexed her hands. She gave a nod and desperately missed her gloves. "Orihalcon pebbles. It's the same type of stone used to make the Philosopher's Stone. The golden dragon Milgasia gave them to me."

"Give them to me!" Luna stuck her hand out at her.

Lina whirled around to face Gourry. "Gourry, give her your sack of pebbles," she ordered.

"Why?" His hand protectively covered the small sack.

"Because I'm not about to give mine...hey!" Lina cried, lunging after Luna, who'd promptly snatched them from her belt. "Give those back!"

"If you need them so badly, use his!" Luna yelled as she raced back down the hall. "Amelia-sama!"

"Right!" Amelia sprang to her feet and followed Luna.

Lina reached over, yanked Gourry's sack off of his belt and chased after her. He stared after her stunned, then scrambled to his feet and took off after her.

"Hey, give those back, Lina!" He fell into step next to her.

"I need them, Gourry!"

"Use your own!"

"My sister took them! Besides, we're engaged, right? That gives me a right to take your pebbles!" Lina shook the bag at him.

"Fine then! You want them, you pay for them."

Lina skidded to a stop and gaped at him. "You want me to _pay _for these?"

"That's right." Gourry halted as well and folded his arms over his chest. Lina shrank back slightly at the wicked gleam in his eyes - a gleam she'd only seen a few times before, including when he'd come up with the asinine idea to have her dress up like a boy when crossing into Zefielia.

"You have one of two options. One." He held up a finger. "You have to give me a single kiss for each single pebble you use."

Her eyes widened. "You...you've got to be serious," she stammered, hoping he was joking with her, but knew deep down that he wasn't.

"Or two." A second finger joined the first. "You are in debt to me. I get to call in a single favor on you. It can be anything in the world that I want."

Lina grabbed Gourry's shirt and yanked him so they were nose to nose. "You are completely insane! Where did you come up with such a stupid request? That's not even like you! Did some sort of clone take over your mind when I wasn't looking?"

He grinned. "Maybe I've been around you too long." Then he lifted the pebble sack from her slackened grip.

Lina screamed with frustration and grabbed her head. "I can't believe this! Out of all the times you have to be assertive, it has to be now! I feel like I've wandered into some strange paradox."

"So, which one do you choose?"

She eyed the pebble sack and considered reeducation Gourry as to how powerful a Burst Rondo could be. "Fine, then. I'll take the favor. Now, gimme!"

He handed the sack over and made a note to record this moment for posterity. Lina attached the sack to her belt and prayed that Gourry would manage to forget. After all, how likely would it be he'd actually remember it anyhow?

oOoOo

Zelgadiss barely dodged the attack from Dinasa and could see the change coming over her. It was just like Rezo, he realized. The piece of Shabranigdu was trying to break free from her. He let out a shot of pure energy at her, then spun around to face the guards that came to back her up. He let loose a fireball that tore through the group.

He whirled around to face Dinasa, wished for Lina's Ragna Blade to back him up. With those together, he could possibly take them her down. "Ra Til..."

"Wait!" Luna raced up to him. "Don't try, it's useless. If you kill her, it'll only send the piece of Shabranigdu into her heir. The princess is in the lower reaches of the palace, it'll do absolutely nothing but to move the venue."

"What do we do?" Zelgadiss yelled.

"Sis! Zel!" Lina, Gourry and Amelia reached them.

"Here." Luna handed the Blast Sword back to Gourry. "I appreciate the use. Here's what we do. Lina, she's after you. Distract her any way that you can. Gourry, cover her. Amelia-sama, Zelgadiss, keep the guards off of me. Lina, whatever you do, don't kill her. Don't use the Dragon Slave either, we'll blow the top of this mountain off."

"Give me a little more credit than that, Sis," Lina muttered.

They broke apart, Lina formulating her own plan. "I'm going to cast the Ragna Blade," she told Gourry. "It held up well without the tailsmen last time, let's see what I can do with it now."

Dinasa focused her attention on them. "You won't get away with this, Lina Inverse!"

Lina sputtered. "That has to be the most cliche thing that's been uttered yet!" She then turned her attention to activating the Ragna Blade. She saw Dinasa shoot at her out of the corner of one eye, then Gourry step in to intercept it. The blade of darkness formed and she willed the size of it down some to not affect Luna or Gourry.

She swung the blade out at Dinasa and parried her staff. She noticed Luna coming up behind the queen and Gourry suddenly move to cover her. Good thinking, Lina thought as she swung at Dinasa again with her own blade.

Luna jumped at Dinasa, slammed a hand on her back. "In the name of Ceiphied, I seal you within this mortal body," she yelled. Dinasa jerked as a tingling sensation started to radiate through her body and she was surrounded by blue light. "Lina! Cast Sleeping on her, now!"

Lina dissipated the Ragna Blade. "Sleeping!" she called out, sending the spell washing over Dinasa. The queen slumped and Luna caught her just before she hit the ground. Lina and Gourry rushed to her side.

"What was that?" Lina asked.

"A sealing spell using those Orihalcon pebbles you gave me." Luna wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I wasn't quite sure that I could actually get away with it. I've studied it, hoped to Ceiphied that I would never have to use it. It turns out I was wrong."

"Is it like what the Aqualord did to Lei Magnus?" Zelgadiss asked, approaching them.

Luna shook her head. "Only a fraction of the power. I'll explain more later. For now, the four of you need to leave here. I'll summon the heir, explain that a random Mazoku attacked her mother and that you saved her. It's not safe to stay in Zefielia much longer. I'm sure I can talk Dinasa out of this one, I'm pretty sure she wasn't in her right mind for most of it. She probably won't believe me, but if I get the heir on my side, it'll buy us enough time to get you out of here. But she does have a vengeance against you, little sister."

"For that one Freeze Arrow?" Lina snorted. "That was years ago! Or is she really miffed that I didn't attend the Sorcerer's Guild graduation?"

Luna's voice gentled. "I wish it was just that simple. Unfortunately, from what I've determined, her sympathies really do lie with the Mazoku. It wasn't all just the Shabranigdu inside of her that was pushing her to bring you back to Zefielia in a somewhat covert manner. She hates you, little sister, and would give a lot to see you dead. It's only because of me that you aren't."

oOoOo

Reviewer Response:

Mistress DragonFlame: You're right, the writing style did shift somewhat last chapter and it was because of the battle scene at the beginning. All writers have their strengths and weaknesses. My big weakness? Writing battles. They are necessary, especially in the type of stories that I want to write. In order to get better at writing them, I have to write some crappy ones first. That was a crappy battle, even after three rewrites and two Turbo Shots from Dunkin Donuts. I do feel that the second part of the battle flows a lot smoother and the battles in "Law of the Land" are a bit stronger as well. I finally had to decide that I wasn't going to let the battle stall the fanfic - which has happened in some of my other works. The result? I'm down to writing the last scene of "Something More" today and it'll be the first long fic I've completed in years.

The thing that's happening with this fic is that a lot of questions aren't going to be answered right away, such as Xelloss' role in the entire incident, why he protected Lina in his own way, etc. Most of the questions will be wrapped up in the third story in the series, "In Darkness, Find Me." That's going to go into a lot more detail about the innerworkings of the Zefielia royals, how the Inverses play into it and what the consequences of Amelia showing up in this fic are. What the Mazoku want will also be addressed in "Law of the Land." It's a lot like Babylon 5, an excellent, excellent TV series that took five seasons to tell a wonderful arc story.


	13. Love, Hate and Other Emotions

**Disclaimer**: "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note**: This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #23. Roses ; daisies ; carnations ; water lilies and theme #28. Love, Hate and the Like ; Emotions

oOoOo

Chapter 13: Love, Hate and Other Emotions

Lina escorted her friends through the streets of Zefiel City toward her parents' store. It felt weird to be home after such a long time. She noticed quite a few stares and ignored them, too tired to deal with pleasantries. She just wanted to devour large amounts of food and crawl into her bed.

Raulf and Lana waited outside for them, Lana rushing forward when she realized all were alive and relatively healthy. She gave each of them a hug before nudging them toward the door.

"Hurry, else the neighbors will be out asking questions," Lana told them.

The grocery store took up the entire first floor and Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadiss all gawked at the amount of food before them.

"No wonder Lina's knowledge of food is so ample," Zelgadiss muttered. "And her appetite is so large."

Lina slanted a dark look at Zelgadiss. "Did I hear you say something?"

His eyes popped open wide. "I think you're imaging things...oh look, coffee!"

"Zel!" Lina grumbled.

"This is absolutely wonderful, Lana-san!" Amelia spun around. "What a fine grocery store. I hardly see any this nice in Saillune."

Lana beamed proudly. "Grab some fruit for yourselves and head upstairs. Raulf, drop a few silver in the till to cover the cost and close up?" She winked at her husband. He returned with a V-sign and moved behind the counter.

They headed upstairs. "The living area, kitchen and Mama and Papa's room are on this floor," Lina explained. "My room, Luna's and a guest room are on the third floor. Amelia will stay with me and Zel and Gourry will have the guest room. There's also a room for bathing. Papa rigged up the pump so we can pump up water to the bathroom, then Mama or I will heat the water with a fireball."

Lina opened the door to her bedroom and stood in the entrance staring at it. It was much as she left it - a full-sized bed tucked under the window with bookcases lining one wall. Against the other was her desk and wardrobe. The bed was neatly made and there was no dust. Feeling like a little girl again, she stepped inside and over to her desk. She picked up the spellbook she used as a child and absently turned it over in her hands.

Amelia wandered over to the window. "Look at the garden! Lina-san, the view is spectacular!"

Lina joined her and grinned. The back of the Inverse home faced off the side of the mountain, giving a splendid view of the countryside. She wagered that a good chunk of Zefielia could be seen from their vantage point. It was a view that homeowners paid dearly to have, but her parents had been willing to pay that price.

"Look, Lina-san, there's something chained in the yard."

"Yeah, Luna said in one of her letters that she got a pet." Lina peered out the window. Then her eyes widened with shock. "No way...Zelgadiss!" she yelled. "Zel, get in here!"

He stepped into the room, Gourry on his heels. "What's wrong?"

"Look out there." Lina tapped on the window pane. Amelia moved aside to let Zelgadiss look out.

"No way," he gasped. "That's..."

"Dilgear!" he and Lina shouted together and they both raced for the stairs.

They raced out into the garden just as the werewolf-troll halfbreed looked up at them. With a growl, he sprang to his feet. "Lina Inverse! Zelgadiss Greywords! At last, I'll have my revenge!"

Lina's eyebrow twitched. "Uh, Dilgear? You're currently on a chain in my backyard."

He strained at the chain, then suddenly stilled. His eyes widened. "Your backyard?"

"Yeah, I grew up here."

"Spot!" Lana stepped outside with a tray of food. "Spot, dinnertime. Luna isn't going to be home right away, so I'll feed you instead."

"S...s...Spot?" Lina gasped.

"You mean, the dog that your sister wrote to you about a few years ago...," Zelgadiss' voice trailed off and they both stared at a wildly blushing Dilgear. Then they burst into laughter, pointing at the poor beast.

Amelia and Gourry watched them from the doorway. "I don't get it, Gourry-san," Amelia commented.

He shrugged. "Neither do I, Amelia." Well, actually, he didn't remember, but it was about the same thing.

oOoOo

Luna arrived home after they'd devoured half of the Inverse's pantry in their quest for a filling dinner. They were all in the living area when she walked upstairs. Raulf and Zelgadiss were engaged in a game of chess while Amelia told slightly cleaned up stories of the just and heroic deeds they'd done in the past few years to Lana. Gourry polished his sword while Lina sat beside him, looking through her old spellbook.

She removed her robe, revealing a simple tunic and skirt beneath it. Everyone looked up her, but didn't move from their positions.

Luna sat next to Lina. "Well, between the heir and myself, we convinced the palace courtiers that a Mazoku attacked the queen and she will wake up naturally from the Sleeping spell sometime tomorrow afternoon. My suggestion is that you leave before then. The healers wanted to do a Countersleeping, but the heir says that the rest will help her mother recover from the trauma."

"And you just got here too," Lana sighed.

"Nothing that can be done about it," Raulf replied. "As long as you get out of here, the queen can't do anything to you. She won't touch us due to Luna, so we'll be fine."

"What type of sealing spell did you put on her?" Zelgadiss asked Luna.

"A temporary one." Luna's gaze fell on each one of them. "It's the same principle as the one that Ceiphied used when she split Shabranigdu to begin with and also when Aqualord sealed Lei Magnus a thousand years ago. Howevever, both of them possess much more power than I do, and I'd never sealed anything before now. We've stopped Shabranidgu from coming out, but I'm not sure how long it will hold. A year? Two at the most? Eventually, that piece of Shabranidgu will have to be killed."

"That's the thing," Lina said. "With Rezo and Luke, it was easy just to kill them. But if Dinasa had been killed, it would had thrown the entire kingdom into chaos. With Amelia being here, the recoil would had eventually hit Saillune, though Luna and I were the ones actually involved in sealing her. But, the truth is, I can't kill her right now. The Oricalhon pebbles boost my power, but nowhere near what the dragon's blood tailsmen did." Her gaze fell on Gourry. "And I don't plan to use the Giga Slave again." Unless I am absolutely forced to, she added silently.

Then she shifted her focus back to Luna. "Sis, I'm curious. Why was the heir content with having Dinasa asleep for so long?"

Luna winked at her and placed a finger against her mouth. "That's a secret."

Lina groaned. "Sis!"

Luna laughed, then quickly grew serious again. "Things aren't what they seem to be, Lina. A lot's happened since you've been away from home. I'm not going to tell you right now, because it would mean breaking a confidence that I worked extremely hard to earn." Her violet eyes flashed for a moment. "You wouldn't want to make me angry by having to break that, would you?"

Lina shrank away and wondered if she could somehow squeeze in between the space between Gourry's back and the back of the sofa. He made such an effective shield. "N...no, Sis."

"Well, there seems that there's just one thing left to do then before everyone goes their separate ways." Luna stood. "Amelia-sama, could you come with me, please? Mama?"

"If I just killed Dinasa, the piece of Shabrangidu simply passes down to her heir," Lina explained as the three left the room. "Dinasa IV is my age, but didn't she get married already, Papa?"

"Yes, she just had her first child, a girl. She'll be Dinasa V," Raulf replied and moved his knight to counteract Zelgadiss' rook.

"That's a lot of people in the family with the same name," Gourry commented, resheathing the Blast Sword.

"She has an enormous amount of hatred for you, it seems," Zelgadiss commented and took Raulf's knight with his priest.

Lina shrugged. "It's no skin off my back. There's more people in this world who'd rather see me dead than who actually like me."

Amelia stepped back into the room, her eyes glazed over and sporting an ecstatic smile. She was followed by Luna, who moved over to the fireplace. She motioned at Zelgadiss and Raulf to get up. Raulf grabbed the chess board, pushed it out of the way, then pulled Zelgadiss to him and whispered in his ear. A sly grin crossed the chimera's face.

Amelia pressed a small bouquet of roses and daises into Lina's hands, then tugged her to her feet. "Here you go, Lina-san!" she announced.

"What's this for?" She asked as Amelia almost shoved her in front of Luna. "Huh? What the..."

"Hey, what's going on?" Gourry cried as Zelgadiss hauled him up and pushed him beside Lina. Then he and Amelia flanked them, moving close enough to where they could easily grab them if one of them decided to make a run for it.

Luna produced a book from behind her hands and opened it. "Be proud, Lina. It's not everyone that gets married by the Knight of Ceiphied. In fact, I'm even willing to give you a discount on my usual fee..."

"Luna...," Raulf warned her.

Luna winked at her father. "...and do this for free."

Lina felt panic start to ripple through her stomach. A wedding? _Now? _"Wait a minute, wait a minute, don't I get a say in this? It's my wedding!" She whirled around. "Gourry, say something!"

He considered it for a moment, then gave Lina a dazzling smile. "I'm ready!"

The panic grew. "But...but what about the fancy dresses? Flowers? A huge cake? And a ring!" Her voice grew shrill as she realized she was quickly losing control of the entire situation.

"I've got the rings," Zelgadiss said, producing a box from his cloak that Raulf had slipped in there moments earlier.

"We have plenty of food, Lina-chan," Lana spoke up, walking back into the room with a large cake.

Gourry kept his eyes on Lina, reached over and took her hand. "This seems good enough to me. Your family's here and Zel and Amelia. That's all I want."

Lina gaped at Gourry. "You're remarkably simple, you know that?"

He considered her words for a moment and shrugged. "I mean, if you want all that stuff, we can wait for it. But, it doesn't matter to me how we get married. I just want us to be happy."

"Besides, this is cheaper," Lana said. "The less money we spend on clothes, the more we spend on food." Her voice gentled. "Not to mention, Lina, once you leave tomorrow morning, you probably won't get to come home for a very long time."

Her mother's words had the effect of a Damu Brass. It was true, Lina realized. Once they left, if she came back to Zefielia, Dinasa would be sure to have her arrested. They would be back though. They had to extract the piece of Shabranigdu from within her and kill it. But gaining the knowledge to do so could easily take a few years or more. Her gaze shifted back to Gourry. But was she ready to be married now?

_You've already waited five years,_ a small voice in the back of her mind said. _Do you really want to wait any longer? What if one of you died?_

She thought back to the battle against the second piece of Shabranigdu, just months earlier. Following that, Gourry had expressed a desire to visit Zefielia and she had interpreted it as a marriage proposal. They had both come dangerously close to losing their lives again, and then two years before that with Hellmaster Fibrizo, not to mention Darkstar the year after that.

She knew she loved him and had loved him for years. She'd talked about the fancy wedding dresses, the big ceremony, but she'd already experienced that with the fake marriage to Hallas five years earlier. Would she change anything about this?

Her gaze flickered over everyone in the room and realized that like Gourry, she had all the people who mattered surrounding her. She squeezed his hand back and nodded. "I'm ready."

"Okay, it's settled. Keep hold of her hand and please, pay attention." Luna slanted a look at Gourry. "I do not want to accidentally marry you to the potted plant over there."

And so they were married.

oOoOo

One good thing about weddings - there was lots of food and drink to be had.

Satisfied and somewhat tipsy, Lina stumbled into her bedroom and promptly fell on the bed. She toed off her boots and enjoyed the feel of the soft mattress. This was a little piece of heaven, she decided, folded her arms behind her head and closed her eyes. She could easily fall asleep with her clothes on, but knew the moment that Amelia stepped in that she would wake Lina up and nag her about doing that. Then she would be in a bad mood, and she really didn't want to be.

She heard footsteps and the door close. "Okay, okay, Amelia, I'll get up and change in a moment." She yawned. "Man, what a day. You don't mind that we're sharing the same bed, do you?"

"Not really. I think we're suppose to. And I'm not Amelia."

She cracked one eye open and noticed Gourry stacking his armor by her dresser. Then it hit her. She hadn't attended just any wedding. It was _her_ wedding. And this was her _wedding night._

Oh crappish hell...

Lina shot up, fully awake. "What do you think you're doing?"

He paused, about to pull off his shirt. "Um...get ready for bed?"

"I mean, in here?"

"Well, we're married, aren't we?" He gave her a confused look. "Aren't we suppose to share the same bed?"

"Uh...yeah." Lina pressed her index fingers together and blushed, unable to look him in the eye. "And, I'm suppose we're going to do that, huh?"

"Hmm..." Gourry leaned over and pulled off his boots. "I suppose so. What's that you're talking about?"

She let out a low scream of frustration. "Do what married people do, jellyfish brains! Sleep together! Are you that much of an idiot?"

He looked over his shoulder at her. "No. It's just you didn't say what 'that' is. 'That' can mean many different things."

"Oh." Lina turned her back to him.

"If you don't want to do it tonight though, I understand." He gave her a patient smile. "I mean, your folks are below us and Amelia, Zel and your sister are in the adjoining rooms."

Touched by his thoughtfulness, she started to relax. The knot of fear coiled inside of her ease. "Thank you."

Backs turned to each other, they changed for bed and slipped beneath the covers. That's when Lina realized her bed was much too short for Gourry and his feet stuck out over the side of the mattress. Still feeling strange about the entire situation, she almost clung to the edge of the bed. Sharing, she decided, was going to take some getting used to. It was one thing to have Amelia share a bed with her. It was something completely different with the man now considered her husband.

"That's got to be uncomfortable," she commented.

"So's clinging to the side of the bed," Gourry replied.

Well, damn. Warily, Lina scooted in a little and turned onto her side, facing away from him. "Is there another position you could move in that would help?"

"Yeah, one." He turned onto his side as well, facing her back, curling his legs in at the same time. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, then pulled her against him. She stiffened and he rested his cheek against her hair.

"I'm glad we got married tonight," he admitted.

"Y..yeah," she stammered. "I guess so."

Exhaustion settled in, weighing her body down like a stone. Part of her wanted to jerk away, to find her own space, but common sense told her to remain where she was. With a yawn, Lina drifted off to sleep. The last thing she remembered was that she thought she heard Gourry tell her that he loved her. Or maybe it was just a dream.


	14. Affaire de Cœur

**Disclaimer**: "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

**Note**: This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #33 Colonge ; Perfume ; Strange smells and theme #29. Affaire de Cœur.

**Secondary note: **This is the clean version of this chapter. The lemon-scented version is available at MediaMiner.

oOoOo

Chapter 14: Affaire de Cœur

They left Zefiel City early the next morning, after exchanging tearful hugs with Lina's parents. Lina handed her mother a jewel that she'd embedded with the Vision spell. "We'll use this to keep in contact," she said. "Keep us up to date on what's going on here."

"Count on it," Lana replied and gave her a victory sign.

"Good job, Lina," Raulf said and ruffled her hair. "We'll find a way to get the two of you back here soon."

Lina frowned. "I noticed that last night. You're not calling me 'Lina-chan' anymore."

Lana smiled. "You're no longer a little girl."

The feeling made Lina feel a bit odd and she covered it with bravado. She winked at them and flashed a V-sign in return. "I don't mind if you call me that, though!"

"Okay, Lina-chan," Zelgadiss replied.

Lina promptly punched Zelgadiss and sent him crashing back into a display of apples. She brushed off her hands, admired her new gloves for a moment and turned to Luna.

The Knight of Ceiphied gave her a quirky grin. "If you take as long to contact us next time, I will hunt you down. I'm not going to handle Dinasa all by myself you know."

Lina gulped. "R...right."

The grin spread. "Geez, stop look at me like I'm going to shove a slug down your tunic. That was years ago. Are you still scared of me like that?"

She fought the urge to hide behind Gourry and Amelia. "N...no, not really."

Luna snorted. "Chicken." Then she leaned over to whisper in her ear. "You might want to consider your new husband a little more. If my senses are correct, he's got an amazing capacity to do magic within him."

Lina blinked at her. "Gourry? The guy who sometimes forgets what he ate for breakfast, right?"

Luna laughed. "You never know. He just might surprise you one day."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Anyhow, we're off! And we'll be back when we find out how to beat Shabranigdu!" With a cheerful pump of her fist, Lina led her group away from the store.

The three Inverses watched them run off. "I suppose they live happily ever after, huh?" Raulf asked, chewing on his cigarette. Lana sighed and yanked it out of his mouth.

"Not yet." Luna turned and stared at the Royal Palace looming over them. "I have a feeling all of them have more trials to go through before that happens."

oOoOo

As soon as they reached the city gates, Lina and Zelgadiss grabbed Gourry between them and, followed by Amelia, Raywinged as far as they could. They bypassed Mylenta and stopped by a river not far from it to rest a bit. Then they kept going, racing over the countryside to put as much distance between themselves and the capital city before dark.

"That magic barrier's still up at the border, but as far as I know, they're not checking people going out," Lina commented.

"That's all right," Amelia replied. "I'll use my seal and say you're all with me. They won't be able to deny the influence that Saillune has."

"One thing does bug me," Zelgadiss commented. "Xelloss disappeared right when I was beginning to fight Dinasa. Where did he go?"

Lina shrugged. "Who knows? Xelloss comes and goes as he pleases. I wonder why he was serving Dinasa like that, but it's something I can beat out of him next time I see him."

They camped outside that night, both Lina and Amelia tending to Gourry's queasy stomach with Recovery. He'd born the trip stoically, but Lina knew that he didn't like flying at all.

The next day, they reached the border and passed through with relative ease. They stopped in the afternoon at the first town in Saillune they came to, Hyrel.

Amelia secured three rooms for them and they all immediately retreated to them to rest. Lina was grateful that this room was much larger and so was the bed. There was plenty of room for both her and Gourry, though she hadn't minded too much when she had woke up in his arms both earlier that morning and the day before that. This morning, she didn't even scream or throw him across the campfire when it happened.

Lina stretched on her stomach and nearly jumped when she felt Gourry's hands on her back. She almost yelled at him, but it changed to a satisfied purr when he began kneading the muscles in the small of her back. "Thank you. You're the one who deserves the massage, putting up with all of that flying."

He gave her a weak smile. "I'm getting used to it. A little. It's not so bad with you and Zel holding me up."

"I know. I felt better once we were out of Zefielia. Now, if Dinasa has woken up yet and shoots down the story that my sister made up, then we're at least under Amelia's protection." She frowned and pillowed her head on her arms. "I don't like having to depend on it, but it is nice for now."

It was peaceful, lying there being massaged while a cool breeze came through the open window. It was autumn, and close to harvest time. It really was a wonderful time of year. She was almost asleep when he turned her over and touched his lips to hers.

Awareness returned as he deepened the kiss and she had no choice but to participate. Feelings of desire began to stir low in her abdomen and this time, she was able to recognize them for what they were.

She also knew that this time they wouldn't stop until their relationship was consummated.

They broke the kiss and he felt her trembling under his hands. "You're scared," he commented lightly.

"No, I'm not," she immediately shot back at him.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not!"

"Are too."

"Are not!"

"Too!"

"Not!" She broke away from him and turned onto her side, her heart racing. She wasn't scared of the actual act of making love. There was one thing about having Luna Inverse for a sister - everything was told to you in a painfully honest manner. And Luna hadn't minced words when she told Lina that her first time would not be the end all to be all experiences.

Well, that's fine, she could live with that - only if it got better afterward.

Gourry couldn't understand that she never let anyone get this close to her before. She'd always managed to keep everyone - including him - at some sort of distance. Granted, the distance between the two of them was very miniscule, but it was still there. Once they did this, he would know everything. He would know just how much she loved him.

It's just love, she told herself. It doesn't hurt...much.

She felt the bed dip as he laid down beside her. They stared at the ceiling together, neither of them quite sure what to do next.

"If you want to wait a little longer, it's fine by me," he said slowly. She picked up on the slight strain in his voice and remembered the times they'd nearly lost themselves in their kissing. He wanted this, at the moment probably more than she did. Then she realized the gift he was giving her - the gift of choosing when they consummated their marriage.

She ached to tunnel her fingers through his hair and to feel the steady beat of his heart beneath her hand. She breathed in the scent of the clove oil that hovered around him like a perfume, felt it calm her down. She knew there was something more, a lot more, to all of this. They'd been connected for years, had been able to tell what the other was thinking and feeling. They would be partners in every sense of the word. Was she ready for it?

She noticed he was asleep, his breathing even and his face peaceful. Emotion surged inside of her, the same love she'd been feeling for years. But now she didn't have to hide it any longer.

She snuggled against his side and automatically, he lifted his arm and allowed her to cuddle closer. She wrapped an arm around his waist, rested her head against his chest and fell asleep.

oOoOo

It was sometime around dark when she woke up. The room had grown cold. Lina got up and closed the window, then crept toward the door, stubbing her toe in the process. With a soft curse, she hopped on one foot until she was able to cast Recovery on it.

"Lina?" Gourry stirred, then sat up, rubbing at his eyes.

"Go back to sleep, I just need to visit the necessary. I stubbed my toe. Lighting!" Lina called forth a small ball of mage light and suspended it in the air. "Much better."

She left the room and headed downstairs. When she was done with her business, she noticed Amelia and Zelgadiss sitting in the dining room. She almost went in to see them, then noticed the faint blush on Amelia's cheeks. Wisely, she crept back upstairs and was pleased to find a spread of food waiting for her in the room.

"Amelia and Zel are spending time together," Lina commented, helping herself to some bread. "Do you think they'll ever get their acts together?"

"Who knows," Gourry shrugged and worked on his own dinner.

They ate companionably and swapped small talk about where they were going to head next. First priority was escorting Amelia back to Saillune City. Although Lina wasn't feeling too charitable toward the Sorcerer's Guild as a whole, she figured that the so-called bounty against her would be null at this point.

It was late by the time they were finished and the dishes cleared out. Lina headed back downstairs again and saw Amelia sitting alone, staring into the fire. Now she approached her. "Hey, what's going on?"

Amelia startled, then looked up at her. "Hi, Lina-san."

"What's the crushed look for? You look like you've lost your best friend." Lina sat next to her.

Amelia sighed and rested her head in her hands. "Zelgadiss-san said he was going to split from us in the morning and follow a rumor he heard about his cure, about some powerful spell. He said he'd keep an eye out for a way to separate Shabranigdu from Dinasa, but I was hoping he would return to Saillune with us."

"Don't worry, Amelia," Lina winked at her. "Knowing Zel, I have a feeling we'll be seeing him again soon."

She sat with Amelia for awhile, each lost in their own thoughts. The two shared some sort of puppy love that was apparent, even to Gourry. But Zelgadiss had a higher calling - to that of his cure. Until he found it, it would be something that Amelia would always have to compete with. Lina was convinced that Zel's mind was made of stone as well, it was so thick. But Amelia was also strong, she could handle it.

She hoped that the chimera would realize that if he didn't act on those feelings relatively soon that he was going to lose Amelia, most likely to a politically advantageous marriage.

Her gaze lifted to the ceiling. She was lucky. She was decisively middle-class and could do whatever she liked, marry whom she chose. Lina had a suspicious feeling that Gourry was a little bit higher class-wise than her due to the family's status of being the wielders of the Sword of Light, but since that sword was gone, it didn't matter anyhow. The whole class system grated on her nerves to begin with.

Bidding Amelia good night, she took care of her night business and headed back upstairs. She rested her head on the knob for a moment and weighed an enormous decision in her mind. Eyes set with determination, she opened the door.

oOoOo

The sunlight nearly blinded Lina when she blinked her eyes open and automatically sat up. She yawned, stretched and promptly screamed when the sheet fell away and she realized she was naked.

"What is it?" Gourry immediately leaped from the bed and grabbed the first weapon he could lay his hands on - a pencil lying on the nightstand.

It came back to her in a rush, everything that happened from the moment she returned from her talk with Amelia. Snatching the sheet back up, she took a moment to laugh at her husband. He made quite a picture, she thought, balancing on the balls of his feet while brandishing a pencil.

"It's nothing," she replied, proud that she'd been able to control the laughter and turn it into a quirky grin instead. "I just forgot what we were doing for a moment." She cocked an eyebrow. "Nice pencil. What are you planning to do, poke someone's eye out?"

Gourry gave her an exasperated look. "Now, look, you..."

Lina gave into her laughter until he decided to shut her up the best way he knew how.

Okay, so it was the only way that didn't involve her biting his hand, he told her after the kiss was finished. But, he cheerfully invited her to bite other places instead.

He was promptly rewarded with a pillow upside the head.

oOoOo

"And so we part ways here," Zelgadiss said later that day as the four stood at the crossroads that would take them in different directions.

"When once we get to Saillune, we'll take a few days to look through the libraries and try to see if there's some sealing spell that would amplify what Luna is doing now," Lina explained. "If we don't, we can head to Atlas City and start there as well - though with it being the white magic capital, I would hope Saillune would yield better results."

"You'll keep in touch, won't you, Zelgadiss-san?" Amelia asked.

He nodded. "I still have the bracelet."

She gave him a relieved smile. "Good. If you find anything, or if we do, we'll use the Vision spell to contact you."

With a wave, Zelgadiss headed on his way south. Amelia stared after him, watching as his form grew smaller and smaller until he was nothing more than a small, blue speck on the horizon. She jumped when she felt a hand clasp on her shoulder.

"Come on, Amelia," Lina said cheerfully. "Let's head back to Saillune."

"Right!" Amelia nodded and immediately fell into step with her friends.

"How long do you think it'll take to find a way to extract the Shabra-thingy from the queen?" Gourry asked.

Lina rolled her eyes. "Sha-bra-ni-gdu. I don't think you'll ever remember it," she remarked, punctuating it with a playful slap to his arm. Her smile quickly faded. "I'm not sure how long the power of Luna's sealing will last. She amplified it with the Orihalcon pebbles, but it's not a permanent fix. If we don't find a way to safely extract that piece without killing Dinasa, we're going to have a huge problem on our hands.

"Don't worry, Lina-san!" Amelia pumped a fist into the air. "Justice always wins in the end!"

"She's got a point, Lina."

"Yeah, yeah." Lina pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head. "Still, the next few months are bound to be interesting."

"It will be," Amelia nodded seriously. "With both this to explore and your marriage." She gave them a sly wink. "I'm sure you'll do plenty of exploring on the latter."

Lina gaped at her. "Amelia! A princess doesn't make those types of jokes!"

"They do when they've been around your mother for the past couple of weeks!"

Lina groaned and buried her head in her hands while Gourry laughed. "Don't worry, Amelia. We won't bother you too much."

She faced them and gestured wildly with her hands. "I could never be bothered by something that is so right! I'm so happy for the two of you. Remember, justice and love shall lead mankind and will give us the strength to face any trial!" With that, Amelia spun back around and marched off ahead of them.

"Well, that's quite the speech," Gourry said, rubbing his chin.

Lina shrugged. "It's nowhere near as bad as some of Prince Phil's." She smiled at him and held her hand out. "Shall we go before she reaches the next town ahead of us?"

"Absolutely." He grasped her hand and they began to walk together. "This is nice," he remarked after a minute.

"Yeah, it is." She gave his hand a squeeze and reminded herself to drop it before Amelia noticed. But for now, she didn't mind. "Just don't start making any weird speeches about love and justice or I'll have to fireball you."

"Duly noted." With a laugh, they raced ahead to join Amelia.

oOoOo

**Endnotes**: Thank you very much for seeing this fic all the way to the end! A little bit of trivia here - this is the longest fanfiction I've ever completed to date and the first multi-chapter story in four years. It's been a lot of fun, but the adventures aren't over yet. Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadiss' trials continue in "Law of the Land," which is currently being posted, and several stories beyond that.

Many thanks goes to the reviewers who have provided input on the chapters. I've always considered them to be the icing on the cake, and it's lovely to hear feedback. Special thanks goes to Stefanie2, Stara Majika and Ichiban Victory for their input into the storyline and the correcting of errors along the way.


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